The American fashion industry is worth $300 billion. Counterfeit handbags are the most commonly infringed class of products sold on streets and online, both in the United States and around the world. Some people choose knockoffs to save money, while many others are completely unaware that the handbags they are purchasing are actually fakes.
The counterfeit handbag industry is linked to a number of other types of criminal undertakings, including prostitution, child labor, drug trafficking, money laundering, and terrorism. Counterfeiting costs legitimate companies money and jobs, weakens designers’ intellectual property rights, and can harm the public’s perceptions of luxury companies and their reputations.
The Federal Bar Association held a Fashion Law Conference in New York City on March 20, 2015 to discuss privacy concerns related to wearable technology. Speakers also encouraged lawyers to enter the field of fashion law, which requires expertise in the fields of intellectual property law, environmental law, criminal law, commercial transactions, tax law, and counterfeiting practices.
Intellectual property laws offer some protection to the makers of real handbags, but they are not foolproof and have not successfully stopped the production and sale of knockoff products. Lawyers at the conference who have prosecuted counterfeiting cases stressed that the key to stopping the sale of fake handbags is to cut off demand.
Attorneys and designers believe that consumers should be educated about the comparatively low quality of counterfeit handbags and their effect on the value and perception of real luxury goods. Handbag buyers should also be aware of the other crimes related to the production and sale of fake handbags so that they will be encouraged to spend their money only on legitimate products. Lawyers and members of the fashion industry believe that if demand is reduced, the counterfeit handbag industry could meet its demise.
Leave a Reply