This topic continues to fascinate me. Why anyone would want fake luxury goods or bogus apparel is beyond me, yet demand obviously remains high. According to a new report in today’s WWD, counterfeiting of apparel, footwear and accessories in China worsened last year, despite pressure from the U.S. and initiatives by luxury firms and governments to prod the Chinese to strengthen enforcement.
Even though there has been "increasing attention from foreign governments, the Silk [Street] Market in Beijing remains the world’s most notorious market for counterfeit goods," the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said in an annual study released Monday on the effectiveness of intellectual property rights protection by U.S. trading partners.
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China has long been the number-one source of counterfeit goods to the U.S. Counterfeit and pirated goods from China accounted for 81% of the total value of all merchandise seized last year, with a U.S. worth of $125.5 million, according to the Customs and Border Protection bureau.
The USTR filed its first intellectual property rights cases against China with the World Trade Organization last month. One case focuses on Chinese legal requirements intended to protect copyrights and trademarks, and the other targets trademarks and barriers to trade in movies, books, music and videos.
Travis Johnson, associate counsel of The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (members include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Kate Spade, Chanel, Cartier and Rolex), said brand owners have taken different approaches to a culturally ingrained piracy problem in China that could take years to alleviate.
Read article: "Report Sees China Counterfeiting Worsen" by Kristi Ellis
