A senior market regulator said Monday that Beijing law enforcement bodies have banned Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Givenchy, Fendi and the rest 20 likes being sold at free markets in the city.

Regardless of providing genuine goods or counterfeits, Li Dongsheng, vice director of the State General Administration for Industry and Commerce, said, vendors who sell those luxury brandnames might face criminal charge for intellectual property violation.

In request of the foreign brand holders, the Chinese authorities issued the ban, with promise from the brand holders that they will not provide genuine goods to places other than authorized chain stores, Li said at a news conference organized by the State Information Office.

"If you really want to buy those luxuries in Beijing," Li said, "you need to go to the chain stores."

Responding to frequent complaints from foreign designer's companies on trademark violation, the Beijing authorities temporarily closed down the Xiushui Market, which is several walks outside the US Embassy and attracts both local and foreign buyers who want to own branded goods at unreasonably low prices.

By the end of August, Li said, local administrations for industry and commerce had posted 982 announcements at billboards in the city's 168 markets which sell clothes, shoes and accessories.

In the Hongqiao Market which is located south of the downtown, Li said, the regulators ordered 40 businesses to close down because they sold goods with those brands.

Li asked consumers not to buy goods with those brands at markets. He also encouraged them to report any violations to the state administration via its telephone hotline, 12315.

The Chinese government began a sting operation combating counterfeits about a month ago. Nearly 120,000 governmental enforcers overhauled 254,000 businesses, destroyed 486 underground factories turning out fake goods, investigated 2,162 cases of trademark violations, confiscated 1.66 million fake trademarks, destroyed 667,000 counterfeit goods, and charged two violators with intellectual property-related crime.