Gothamist: Opinionist: New York Needs a Better Counterfeit Goods Policy

ann

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:22:00 -0500

to Max: Do YOU know how Louis Vuitton makes their luxury goods? probably not, because if you did, you wouldn't be running your mouth about how LV produces their goods because it is, in fact, a long and precise process. Another thing, counterfeit goods don't hurt wealthy women who can afford to buy the product. Counterfeit goods cost the world economy $600 billion dollars a year. Companys (LV, Prada, etc.) have a right to be angry at the counterfeit goods. A fake bag is no different than illegally downloading music. With what you are saying, you're showing support to the criminals who sell these fake bags and hold factories that are contributing to child and slave labor. And people who buy fake goods are pathetic people anyway. No one buys a LV bag for the design, they buy it because the logo is slapped all over the bag. Obviously anyone who buys a fake Louis is a lowlife who wishes to be considered wealthy. Yes, regulating sales of counterfeit bags will be hard but if we dont try to stop it, we're just letting the criminals continue making money illegally and at the expense of children working in the factories who try to support their families.

tt

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:54:31 -0500

Counterfeiting is a dirty business. It hurts Americans and New Yorkers especially hard. If anything, our city should have the toughest laws since New Yorkers have the most to lose from the trade. My wife is a handbag/accessories designer and plenty of people in her industry are hurting because of these crooks on Canal Street. What makes it worse is that we live right across the street from a very large counterfeit retailer in Tribeca. The landlord (Ray Abramcyk) has done nothing. The Fifth Precinct does nothing. The middle aged customers from New Jersey and Long Island (who are escored into the locked storefront by a sophisticated series of walkie-talkie weilding Chinese gangsters) come out looking like giddy teenagers. Ah, the illicit thrill of it! Right now they're making a killing with handbags and watches and fake Viagara. The future is a lot scarier.

random girl

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 05:07:00 -0500

Say what you will about counterfeit goods, there's just no way to avoid it. In Beijing, the Silk Street Mall, which is an entire mall dedicated to selling fake luxury items, was sued by various brands (Prada, LV, Chanel, etc.) for copyright infringement. How do you sue a mall? You sue the landlord. The luxury brands lost and the landlord was ordered by the Chinese courts to pay a (laughable) sum of 12,000 USD to each company. The next day, people went back to Silk Street and discovered that it had not changed a damn thing; the stalls were still selling fake goods. In Shanghai, during the international film festival last year, the local government cracked down on fake DVD sellers, closing down all stalls operating in pirated material. After the festival was over, all the fake DVD sellers were back in action, selling more than ever. Whether it's in China or Chinatown, fake goods are here to stay... You can pass all the laws regulating this but as long as there are people willing to buy, there will be people willing to sell.

Max.

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:39:31 -0500

I'm good with the half-ass enforcement we have now. It seems to be working. Re: terrorists! child labor! organized crime!- Save it. I know you're upset that an exact copy of your $2900 status-symbol handbag can be had for $40 on canal street, but I'm willing to bet that you don't check out the labor practices in the louis vuitton factory before you make your purchases. With respect to "ties to organized crime;" no shit. Selling counterfeit handbags /is/ the crime they're organizing. Not exactly drug dealing or prostitution. As for your "terrorism!" charge, I'm sure there are plenty of ways for al Quaeda to make money. Shuting down the fake fendi merchants on canal won't prevent another september 11. Look, you don't buy a fake on Canal street instead of the real thing. If you've got money like that to waste on a bag, you're going to go for the real deal. If you want the look but wouldn't think of spending $2100 on a handbag, you buy one on Canal street. If canal street doesn't have what you want you don't go 5 blocks uptown to the boutique and buy the real one. The only people hurt by bootlegged handbags are rich women who are pissed off that poor people can have their expensive status symbols. They shouldn't worry. Anyone who noices status handbags will be able to tell what's fake and what's real.

rev pays

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:29:10 -0500

As long as Big business wins who cares about the dead guy shot by the NYPD during a counterfeit operation, right? Nothing will change because no one wants it to change, there's too much money in it on both sides. The cops, Dept of Homeland security, the trademark lawyers, it's a cash cow.

eric

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:20:03 -0500

what a dumb idea. there are so many things wrong with this, its not even worth listing.

Joe

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:56:50 -0500

The idea of legalizing the sale of counterfeit goods is laughable. Protection of trademarks, copyrights and patents is the cornerstone of a market economy because without it, the incentive to create gets destroyed. Also, by suggesting that the city could use this as an opportunity to gain tax revenues, you turn NYC into a partner in committing copyright infringement.

bklynd

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 15:06:35 -0500

So what is wrong with the half-assed enforcement we have now? Why legalize counterfeits? Unlike drugs, few people really care that counterfeits are being sold.

CL

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 15:06:15 -0500

Not only is the sale of counterfeit goods illegal, but as you may not realize, it's also illegal to buy them or transport them across state lines. ALL counterfeiting is a matter of FEDERAL law, so your contention that this is the NYPD's fight is silly and uninformed at best. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI bear ultimate responsibility for control of counterfeit goods in the US, and Interpol is the international organized tasked with this charge. This is because the people who ultimately end up profiting from their sale include organized crime and terrorists. If you don't believe me, check this out: http://wwwa.house.gov/international_relations/108/nob0716.htm And a little bit closer to home, check out the "organizations" benefitting from some Canal Street-type sellers of fake handbags and other items: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/060404newyork.htm last but not least, bear in mind that a lot of these counterfeit items such as handbags and clothes are manufactured using child labor. So, before spouting off in your blog about how maybe something like this should be legalized, I suggest doing a bit of research on the subject. If you're okay with supporting terror cells, child labor, and organized crime throughout the world, you're certainly not alone--but I somehow doubt that's really your contention?

HG

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 14:57:21 -0500

That's a pretty stupid idea.

kristin

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 13:28:32 -0500

I don't think it would be legal to regulate counterfeit goods because making them is in itself a violation of the real companies' (gucci, prada) copyrights on the products. so the police would be complicit in a crime. the idea reminds me of a law that 11 states have actually enacted termed an "illegal drug tax". the concept was that one possessing illegal drugs could anonymously pay a tax on them. needless to say, the response wasn't overwhelming.