So Long Counterfeit Triangle; Owners to Pay $800,000 Fine

Photograph by luluinnyc | Amy Dreher on Flickr

Owners of a Chinatown property dubbed the "Counterfeit Triangle" will pay the city a settlement of $800,000 for housing shops that sold fake purses, watches and jewelry, purportedly made by Fendi, Rolex, Tiffany and more. From now on the three-cornered area with addresses on Canal Street, Baxter Street, Centre Street and Walker Street will be home to only legitimate businesses (Starbucks offered one seller $12,000 a month for his corner storefront). "Property owners should know that they are responsible for what goes on in their buildings and that hosting illegal activity like counterfeiting is a losing proposition," said Mayor Bloomberg in a statement.

A chief adviser, John Feinblatt, added that "Selling counterfeit goods is a form of organized crime—it is built on forced sweatshop labor, often done by children—and frequently accompanied by violent turf wars." Since 2003 the city has busted some 32 counterfeit goods sellers, seizing $52 million in knock-offs and collecting about $3 million in fines from building owners.

In January one watch seller in the triangle predicted the shut-down. “It was a nice hustle while it lasted," he wistfully recalled.

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By Sabrina Jaszi in News on April 7, 2010 1:12 PM

Comments [rss]

slny

Now where will I get my $18 Coach and $20 Rolex?

Oh, well, I guess I'll be paying $600 for my child-labor bag instead of $18.

JacqueMehoff

tourism will drop, people will not stay an extra day or so to get their handbag. a handbag that was probably made at the same factory. if you're going to differentiate yourself and charge a premium at least make it in France or Italy.

ANGRYGOD11

If I owned/managed an exclusive boutique, paid a very high rent, payroll and taxes, why shouldn't I demand the city enforce the laws against sidewalk vendors selling fakes degrading my brand on sidewalks outside my business?

thefacts

Stop making sense. Just rant 'conspiracy' like the rest.

poopmast

Bloomberg will look back and wonder why theres a 20% dive in tourism this summer.

schadenfreudian mensch

But hey he's making his bosses at LV, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Prada, and Coach very happy and in the end isn't that what's it all about?

newport27

$800,000 fine for selling counterfeit goods? Sounds like typical bloomberg-style extortion.

God why is this crook still alive? I cringe when I see another photo of this con man.

JenChungsBaby

So when the colors fade on my Burberry umbrella I can't bring it back any more?!?!?!

SighR

NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

ed_Extinct

the nigerians are moving in on that turf...

schadenfreudian mensch

What? Don't tell me they're all giving up on that lucrative 419 scam. My junk folder wouldn't be the same with at least one 419 per day.

Manitoba

Well, that fight's over! No more counterfeit goods will ever be sold again in New York.

Congrats NYPD!

Potty Boy

No justice in this situation. Punishing the property owners is just a lazy enforcement method because I presume it's too difficult to prosecute the actual perpetrators, the individual sellers.

schadenfreudian mensch

"Property owners should know that they are responsible for what goes on in their buildings"

If they did that for every property owners in NYC we wouldn't have any slumlords, but obviously this is only selective enforcement and we all know where the push is coming from.

thefacts

No, it is an effective enforcement tool, used to close all sorts of nuisance businesses, like crack and whore houses.

The landlords knew their property was being used to facilitate a crime. That is a crime.

Good riddance. Now you can walk on Canal without being hassled by those trolls.

ANGRYGOD11

The vendors did take up a lot of limited sidewalk space, but I wouldn't say they bothered people, not like cellphone distributors ("NO! I already have a plan!").