As you know, I for one think fake designer bags are about as gross as gross can be. I feel you should carry the best you can afford. If that's a real leather $200 bag then you have my fullest respect. If you carry a fake LV that you paid $40 for in Chinatown and the seems don't even match…well I find that rather icky. Trust me, those you are trying to impress know it's a fake. Not only that, your $40 went to support child labor, drug cartels, terrorism and a slew of other major crimes. So it's a double ick.
Well, one NYC councilwoman is looking to turn the tables on the buyer! Yes, buyers could face a year in jail or a $1000 fine under a proposed bill by a Councilwoman Margaret Chin, whose Chinatown district is known for counterfeiters. According to today's NY Post she is plain fed up with cheapskate tourists and NYC residents flooding her district in search of fake designer merchandise.
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Under Chin's bill, which is being introduced Thursday, shoppers caught buying any counterfeit product could be jailed or slapped with a fine of $1,000. Sure it's a little less than the costs of a real designer bag, but is it worth it?
"It's a very big problem," Chin said of the counterfeit market. "People are still coming, and the industry is growing, and we have to stop the demand. We need people to know that they are feeding this demand."
Don't fret you're already carrying a fake Chanel (although you should that the fashion police might arrest you fro crimes of good taste). You have to be caught actually buying the goods to be charged, according to the proposal.
Surprisingly, legit merchants who could lose street traffic if the ubiquitous black-market vendors were to leave…applauded the proposal.
Sandy Lui, manager of Optical 88 on Hester Street, acknowledged that she might lose customers, since many people come to Chinatown specifically to buy knockoffs, but she said she supports a crackdown on principle. "It's wrong to sell [fake goods]. I don't like people coming in here assuming we also sell fake stuff," she said.
Now, getting cops to enforce this law, could be another story.
What are your thoughts? Think this could help?
– Lauren Dimet Waters
Source & Photo: NY Post
