I completely understand how incredibly time consuming and expensive it can be to go over the counterfeiters and spammers.  At HairTalk someone spends a lot of time everyday trying to find spamming posts about counterfeit shoes, perfume, handbags, hair...you name it.

I'm not sure how much good the Tiffany lawsuit can do to stop the sites in the People's Republic of China but maybe it will ultimately stop them from posting spam here about counterfeit jewelry and I would be very happy to see that.

Kudos to Tiffany.  I just hope some of the other companies like Coach follow the lead of Tiffany and file lawsuits.

Agree?  Disagree?  Thoughts? 

I agree, I know a lot of people like getting deals on products that are costly but it isn't fair to the manufacturers and owners of these labels. None of us like being ripped off and taken advantage of, if someone ripped off my business I would want to seek justice and retribution as well.

Also it's isn't fair to the customers who believe they are getting real products and are paying high prices for something that isn't what they thought. I would be very angry if my expensive bags and shoes were fakes after I shelled out all that cash.

It is very difficult to stop these counterfeits from being sold. In places like China and even Flea markets there is an abundance of fake name brands that look like the real thing. I doubt a company would be able to completely wipe out the fakes but taking legal action is a step in the right direction to show these criminals they mean business.

Hi Erica,

Thanks so much for your response.  This is such a difficult position and you have made some great points.  I am not sure how a lawsuit from Tiffany or Coach or similar will help stop the counterfeiting because it is everywhere.

In fact, a friend of mine who is an alcohol distributor says that there is a rising problem in liquor counterfeiting.  Who knew?

I do know that our HairTopia vitamins are made from ingredients we have to have independently tested to determine if they are the real deal.  Scary.  That scares me more than counterfeit handbags because I'm putting it into my body.  Ditto with the alcohol.

My big question is do people understand all the ramifications of counterfeiting?  Do they care?  Are counterfeit products as good as the original item and does it hold up as long?

I think in general consumers don't really know the ramifications of buying counterfeits (if they know that they are counterfeits) and even then they might figure that the consequences and blame lies with the seller instead of them. Some people buy them because they want a good price on a pricey item and if they are getting that I doubt they care where it came from.

I think the people who care more are the companies that have their products ripped off and the consumers who end up with fakes when they expected the real thing. If I ended up with a fake Tiffany pearl necklace I'd make it my business to learn about the ramifications and what actions I could take if any to rectify it.

I think the people who sell these products have a slight understanding of the consequences, at least the ones in the countries who make it known that any form of bootlegging is against the law. Countries like China who are governed by different laws may not be fully aware of the ramifications.

Others just don't care! They are making money and they may figure with so many other people doing it, it is common practice and they won't get caught.

I've seen bootlegged movies everywhere! No one says anything about it being illegal they walk by as if it is completely normal.

In a mall here in Toronto there were a few stalls selling bootleg DVDs and hand bags, they had been there for a long time and when the police finally cracked down on them within a couple weeks they were back at it in the same location. Maybe to them the money is more important then the sentence even if they do know about it.Ericachristina2013-01-24 17:09:20

Interesting conversation.....

Check out this post:
Lawsuit Attempts to Block Harry Winston Acquisition of Ekati

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Hi Ericachristina....

I agree.  Money seems to be the key factor that allows the counterfeiters to continue to survive...even thrive. 

Unless someone manages to make the counterfeiters have to pay major money in order to continue to operate it will continue.
julia0022013-01-25 10:06:33