page_title: Counterfeit consumer goods
section_title: Apparel and accessories
hierarchical_section_title: Counterfeit consumer goods / Types / Apparel and accessories
caption_attribution_description: English: Counterfeit Rolex watches seized by the US CBP
context_page_description: Counterfeit consumer goods are goods, often of inferior quality, made or sold under another's brand name without the brand owner's authorization. Sellers of such goods may infringe on either the trademark, patent or copyright of the brand owner by passing off its goods as made by the brand owner. Counterfeit products made up 5 to 7% of world trade in 2013, and in 2014 cost an estimated 2.5 million jobs worldwide, with up to 750,000 jobs lost in the U.S. About 5% of goods imported into the European Union in 2013 were fakes, according to the OECD.
  The colloquial term knockoff is often used interchangeably with counterfeit, although their legal meanings are not identical. Knockoff products are those that copy or imitate the physical appearance of other products but which do not copy the brand name or logo of a trademark. They may still be illegal under trademark laws if they confuse consumers. Counterfeiters can include producers, distributors or retail sellers. Pirated goods are reproductions of copyrighted products used without permission, such as music, movies or software. Exact definitions depend on the laws of various countries.
context_section_description: Rayban, Rolex, Supreme and Louis Vuitton are the most copied brands worldwide, with Nike being the most counterfeited brand globally according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Counterfeit clothes, shoes, jewelry and handbags from designer brands are made in varying quality; sometimes the intent is only to fool the gullible buyer who only looks at the label and does not know what the real thing looks like, while others put some serious effort into mimicking fashion details.
  Others realize that most consumers do not care if the goods they buy are counterfeit and just wish to purchase inexpensive products. The popularity of designer jeans in 1978, spurred a flood of knockoffs.
  Factories that manufacture counterfeit designer brand garments and watches are usually located in developing countries, with between 85-95% of all counterfeit goods coming from China. International tourists visiting Beijing, China, may find a wide selection of counterfeit designer brand garments at the Silk Street. Expensive watches are vulnerable to counterfeiting as well.
  In Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, authentic looking but poor quality watch fakes with self-winding mechanisms and fully working movements can sell for as little as US$20 to good quality ones that sell for $100 and over. Also, some fakes' movements and materials are of remarkably passable quality – albeit inconsistently so – and may look good and work well for some years, a possible consequence of increasing competition within the counterfeiting community.
  Some counterfeiters have begun to manufacture their goods in the same factory as the authentic goods. Yuandan goods are those fakes that are produced in the same factory as legitimate designer pieces without authorized permission to do so. These goods are made from scraps and leftover materials from the genuine products, produced illegally, and sold on the black market.
  Thailand has opened a Museum of Counterfeit Goods displaying over 4,000 different items, in 14 different categories, which violate trademarks, patents, or copyrights. The oldest museum of this kind is located in Paris and is known as Musée de la Contrefaçon.
  In fashion, counterfeit goods are called knock offs. These counterfeit goods are usually sold on markets and street corners. Though purchasing goods might be seemingly harmless to those who are purchasing it knowingly, they are actually funding more dangerous organizations. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau in England, advices people not to buy counterfeit goods for serious reasons.
  Intellectual property is a problem that seems to come up when talking about knock offs in fashion. There are a lot of arguments that talk about how it is stealing the brands logo and prints. On the other side of this argument, many designers believe that counterfeiting is a form of flattery. Virgil Abloh of OFF WHITE famously said, "you can’t copy something that isn’t wanted". Many fashion houses try and stop the knock offs from circulating, Louis Vuitton has an entire team that is just focused on stopping counterfeits. Gucci has adapted the counterfeit culture into its designs, changing the spelling of Gucci to Guccy for its spring summer 2018 collection and painting REAL all over the bags.
  Consumers may choose to actively dismiss these unclear origins of product when a trendy style is available for little money. The previous French terrorist attack in 2015 at Charlie Hebdo Newspaper has been traced back to being funded by counterfeit product. According to Tommy Hilfiger's Alastair Grey, terrorists bought the guns used with funds gained from selling illegal luxury sneakers. This is more normal than consumers may think. Grey discusses how often sellers will be overlooked by watch-groups as buying fakes from a distributor in China is less suspicious than other, more extreme criminal activity. The cause and effect of this discounting of crime is giving sellers money to partake in terrorism, human trafficking and child labour. These sellers are difficult to track due to counte
caption: Counterfeit Rolex watches
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