Most countries have strict rules against making or selling counterfeit goods.old ironside fakes ph Other countries could care less. The funny thing is; most countries make counterfeit goods illegal to sell, but it’s okay to have it in your possession in small quantity. I don’t think I will ever understand federal laws, I just obey them.
General rule of thumb, if your country has federal laws, chances are it is VERY ILLEGAL to make or sell counterfeit/fake goods of any kind. If you’re country does not have a federal laws, chances are your country could care less if you make or sell counterfeit or fake goods.
But there are ways around it also. If it is a look-a-like without the company logo or name is is not considered a fake or counterfeit. You can sell this legally as long as you don’t promote it as the brand name in question. But, if the item has either the company brand logo or name on it anywhere it is considered a fake/counterfeit and it is VERY ILLEGAL to buy or sell. “If it has the brand name or logo on it, it doesn’t even have to resemble the product to be illegal to sell”.
Counterfeiting a brand name is a major federal crime. Trademark and copyright infringement are a huge problem in the USA right now and can come with jail time and/or big fines. There are over one hundred thousand counterfeiting rings that were busted last year.
Some people say you are okay if you don’t advertise the brand name. This is only okay if your product doesn’t have a company name or logo on it anywhere. Look-a-likes with out a company name or logo are tolerated if they are not advertised as the brand name product.
Look-a-like items are items that look like a brand name item without any company name or logo on it. You may have noticed some people who sell look-a-like items and they advertise it as “Compare to Oakley” or “Just like Oakley”. Even though it looks the same, it’s not illegal to sell because it doesn’t have a logo or brand name on it and they are not promoting it as a brand name product. Federal laws have really weird rules. I don’t see the difference, but apparently they do.
I always hear stories of people getting in trouble for buying fake goods from China. This is very popular. Don’t fall for cheap prices in China. Most wholesalers from China make counterfeit and fake merchandise. They make a living off of it. The problem is, it’s against the law to most of the world. But China is not a democracy, they do not have any federal laws or regulations. Therefore, they don’t need to follow rules set by other countries that have to follow the federal laws. That’s why China can sell counterfeit or fake goods and not get in trouble.
Most people that have been getting in trouble, have been getting caught on receipt of the goods. China or another counterfeiter will ship the goods to it’s customer. When the customer receives the goods, a team of officials arrest the customer. Most of the people caught for selling counterfeit goods have been doing it a long time. There has probably been a sting operation going on for quite sometime if you are caught selling counterfeit goods.
Big name brand companies that have been the victim of counterfeiting have created sting teams to constantly do research and catch counterfeiters. When you sell the goods, the sting team will purchase it. Then they inspect the item to find out if it is a fake. If the team can confirm the item is fake and you are selling fake goods under their brand name, you will be investigated. The investigation will go on until they can catch all the people involved so they can catch the entire counterfeiting ring.
Just because you have seen people selling counterfeit or fake goods and they didn’t get in trouble, doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to sell it. Don’t worry, someday those counterfeiters will be caught. Big countries like China thrive on counterfeit goods. The truth is, people don’t mind buying-to-own counterfeit goods. Even if they know it’s fake, most people don’t mind. Some of it is made better than the real stuff. So they get a better product for a fraction of the price. But it doesn’t make it right. It is still against the law for most of us. And for those that are selling counterfeit goods and shouldn’t be; they will be caught someday.