Louis Vuitton: left authentic / right fake


Lady Dior: left authentic / right fake


Fake Chanel and Louis Vuitton wallet


Fake Lacoste crocodile logos


Chloé Paddington: above authentic / below fake


Chanel necklace: obviously fake. Beware! Authenticity cards are also copied by counterfeiters


A press used by counterfeiters to copy the Louis Vuitton famous Monogram print.


For the ones that still don't know: If you buy fakes you support criminal activities!!!

On the second day we decided to take it slow. So we did some shopping in St. Germain, paid a visit to the Jardin du Luxembourg and ended our visit at the Musée de la Contrefaçon.

Anyone interested in learning more about counterfeits (fakes) should really pay this museum a visit! The museum was created in 1951 and is managed by the Union des Fabricants, the foremost French anti-counterfeiting association. All the goods on display have been the subject of a court ruling or settlement out of court. You may not be aware of this, but the great majority of these products are infringing trademark rights or copyrights.

We took lots of pictures. Although I have decided to show you only a few fake designer goods, we have also spotted fake car parts, cigarettes, foodstuffs, medicine (such as Viagra) and even pregnancy tests and condoms!

Finally some figures:

• Counterfeiting represents 5 to 10% of the world trade.
• 9,4 million articles seized by the French customs in 2008.
• 178 million goods seized by EU customs in 2008, 79 million in 2007.
• 100,000 lost jobs in Europe. 30,000 in France.

Say No To Fake and help to make this a counterfeit-free world.

The Material Girl Ad with Taylor Momsen

Madonna only recently launched the "Material Girl" clothing line (available at Macy's) and now has already been accused of trademark infringement!

A company called L.A. Triumph Inc. claims that they have been using the trademark MATERIAL GIRL extensively since 1997 and has now demanded all profits from the Macy's line.

I'm quite interested to see what the outcome will be, because in contrary to Europe, you do not need a trademark registration to claim prior rights to a trademark in the US. If L.A. Triumph Inc. can prove genuine use of MATERIAL GIRL, Madonna might have to pay up.

 

It's been a while ago since I wrote about it and that's why I would like to remind you of Harper's Bazaar's fight against fake, with their continuous campaign "Fakes are never in fashion". This campaign is 'dedicated to exposing the criminal activities connected to the sale of counterfeit luxury goods', and inspired me to start my blog.

Visit the "Fakes are never in fashion" website to learn more about counterfeit luxury goods, all the dangers related to buying fakes, and numbers on fakes. You can also find the yearly Harper's Bazaar "Luxury report" there. They describe this report as 'a groundbreaking editorial investigation that exposes the atrocities of the fake trade and focuses on the significance of purchasing authentic luxury products.'

This website is simply a must-visit for every fashion-minded girl out there, because Fakes are never in fashion!

Photo taken from www.cnbc.com

Did you know that 7 percent of global trade sales is generated from counterfeit goods? Last year, US customs seized counterfeit goods with an estimated street value of more than $ 260 million!

Ever wondered which counterfeit goods are seized most often by US Customs?

The website cnbc.com posted a top 10 of most seized counterfeit goods.

1. Footwear - $ 99.78 million / 38% of total seizures
2. Consumer electronics - $ 31.77 million / 12% of total seizures
3. Handbags/wallets - $ 21.50 million / 8% of total seizures
4. Apparal - $ 21.46 million / 8% of total seizures
5. Watches/parts - $ 15.53 million / 6% of total seizures
6. Computers/hardware - $ 12.54 million / 5% of total seizures
7. Media - $ 11.09 million / 4% of total seizures
8. Pharmaceuticals - $ 11.06 million / 4% of total seizures
9. Jewelry - seizure value $ 10.5 million / 4% of total seizures
10. Toys and electronic games - seizure value $ 5.50 million / 2% of total seizures

For more information, check out the full slide show and learn more.

All information and data taken from www.cnbc.com
Source: US Customs and Border Protection

I noticed I had posted a lot of pictures lately. Time for a new counterfeit post! When catching up on counterfeit news online, I found something interesting and very useful I wanted to share with you guys.

Picture taken from: www.cloettafazer.com

The website www.stopfakes.gov has published a document with 10 easy steps you can take to keep you safe from fakes:
 
1.  scrutinize labels, packaging and contents
2.  seek authorized retailers
3.  watch for missing sales tax charges
4.  insist on secure transactions
5.  seek quality assurance in the secondary market
6.  report questionable spam and faulty products
7.  be vigilant when buying abroad
8.  teach your kids about counterfeits
9.  warn friends and family of illegitimate product sources
10. trust your instincts
 
The document contains extensive advice on things you can look out for and other useful tips regarding fakes. I definitely think it is worthwhile to check out. You can read the full document here: Consumer_Tips.pdf (146.1 KB)

If you have some spare time, please read it and spread the word! No fakes! Not ever!

Hi guys! I'm back from a short break to Puerto Banus, Marbella, Spain! Oh boy, we took so many pictures, since I bought a new dSLR camera! But before showing you a selection of pictures first some counterfeit news.


Frommel wants to join us on our trip to Marbella!

Well, basically if you're looking for a nice designer bag (authentic or fake), Marbella apparantly is the place to be. For the ones that never heard of this place before, Marbella is the St. Tropez of Spain. With the mondain harbour Puerto Banus, lots of people find their way to this decadent place to enjoy the sun, good food, beautiful cars and many designer shops.


Welcome to Puerto Banus and please watch out for the bar...

Brands such as Missoni, Gucci, Tod's Hermès, Dior, Valentino, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, etc are well presented here. Unfortunately despite the fact that many people in this great place should have plenty of money to spend in one of these stores, lots and lots of them rather spend their money on a fake bag or watch you can easily purchase on the street.

The streets of Marbella are full with counterfeit vendors out in the open offering their fake stuff to tourists as if it's legal merchandise they're selling. On a regular night that we went out to have a few drinks, every 3 minutes these guys would pass by and offer their fake products, most of these fakes being Louis Vuitton bags!

You could tell that Louis Vuitton is very popular in Marbella. For every authentic LV bag you could easily spot 10 fakes. It's shocking to see so many women and (teenage) girls carrying the fake version of the popular Speedy or Neverfull in Damier Azur Canvas.

After being confronted with this tsunami of fakes I think I never ever want to buy a Louis Vuitton again! :(

Here are some pictures of counterfeit vendors, that we secretly took:



 

 

 
Prada? Louis Vuitton? I guess these pictures speak for themselves.

And you know what? For some strange reason we even felt sorry for these guys. Most probably these guys are just trying to make a living. It's the criminal organisation that is taking care of the supply/logistics of these fakes and underpaying these guys that is the worrying part!

During a walk through my home town I passed by this store showcasting various Birkin and Kelly look-a-like bags in several colors and sizes.

Pics of the store I passed by showcasting the look-a-like bags.

Hermès bags, and especially the Birkin and Kelly have been extremely popular for years and years. Unfortunately, only the rich and famous are able to purchase one. The price of a basic Birkin nowadays is about 6K euro.

Since most bags are normally only protected by copyright, the designer can only act against an identical copy of the design. However, Hermès is one of the few fashion houses that apparantly finds IP-protection very important. They have managed to register a Community Trademark (3D) Registration for the Birkin!


Community Trademark Registration (3D) ofthe Hermès Birkin

This means that anyone copying the design of the Birkin bag is not only in violation of copyright but also trademark infringement!

With a trademark registration it is possible to act against any use and/or registration of a sign that is (phonetically, visually or conceptually) similar or identical to the registered mark. This will result in a much broader protection than copyright only!

Taking this into consideration, do you believe these bags are infringing Hèrmes' rights?

Yesterday, on Museumplein in Amsterdam, when I was actually on my way to the Chanel boutique to pick up some goodies I had reserved, I was shocked to see what must have been the worst fake Chanel bag ever! It was such a horrible fake, I even felt sorry for the poor baggy!

Watch and be horrified:



Close-up:



A picture of an authentic Chanelbag for comparison purposes:



Only "minor" differences between the authentic bag and the fake one don't you agree! ;)

Tomorrow the World Cup will finally start! I already filled out the office soccer pool and according to my predictions our national team will meet the Brazilian team in the quarter finals ...  whoops! :s 

Today, as a great kick-off, Vanity Fair published pictures the famous photographer Annie Leibovitz took of some great soccer players. Such a great way to get in the mood don't you agree? ;)


Photo from www.vanityfair.com taken by Annie Leibovitz

Well, unfortunately big events such as the World Cup are also always a great opportunity for many companies to earn an extra buck! Sales for t-shirts and merchandise will be huge. And we all know that if there’s cash involved, the counterfeiters always manage to find their way to earn some extra money as well!

For weeks there have been many reports of counterfeit items being seized by authorities in several countries. And according to a research done by Kelkoo 20% of World Cup merchandise may be fake. In addition, 25% of consumers have admitted that they would consider buying counterfeit shirts and products. Shocking!

Since the beginning of this year customs authorities have seized more than 10 million euros worth of fake football apparal mostly manufactured in in China and other Asian countries. And already over 100 cases involving counterfeit World Cup products have been brought to court.

Photo taken from www.dailymail.co.uk

Legitimate sellers like in this picture are suffering from the sales of fakes.

You can find fake shirts and merchandise everywhere in South-Africa and in some cases these fake items are passed on as the real thing. If you want to tell the difference between the real deal and a fake you will have to look out for finer details of the product, like the quality of the fabric and logos. Nowadays lots of these counterfeit items are so close to the originals, it's hard to tell if what you have in your hands is real or not.

If you want to read more i.e. reasons why you should not buy fake shirts and merchandise and tips on how to buy official FIFA World Cup merchandise please check out the article "Up to a Fifth of FIFA World Cup Merchandise May be Fake".

Well, fake or no fake, I wish everyone a fantastic World Cup!!! And may the best country (Holland) win!

Fakes are starting to become a hot topic and I truly believe that there will come a time when people start to realize that fakes are no good! 

Today, widely spread in the media is this story about this 65-year-old Austrian lady that bought something that turned out to be a very expensive fake! It must have seemed too good to be true to her! She managed to negotiate a bargain price for her Louis Vuitton bag and only paid 7 euro instead of 50 euro. Besides, the seller guaranteed her that it was an authentic purse.

But what was she thinking?! Did she really think that she could buy an authentic Louis Vuitton purse for only 7 euro on the beach, while these things normally costs hundreds of euros Well, unfortunately for her it turned out to be a fake (naturally) and the police in Jesolo, near Venice, handed the lady a 1,000 euro fine for buying fake goods which is in violation of local regulations.

This summer more and more places in Italy are starting to conduct a zero-tolerance policy against fake and buyers of fakes are taking a big risk of getting a fine when caught.

Most sellers of fakes on the Italian beaches are immigrants from Africa or Asia and get their supplies from criminal gangs. They can really be a nuisance. There are stories of people that had been approached 48 times a day by these vendors trying to sell their fakes.

It has been reported that 42 million fake products have been confiscated from these sellers on the beach in the period January until April this year.

Best way to avoid getting caught: Don't buy it! You're not saving yourself some (or a lot of) money. You will also avoid being mocked by others who can easily spot you're wearing a fake! ;)

Read more here.

Sometimes it's just so hard to establish if an online store is legitimate or not. You really have to have your facts right in order to know if you are dealing with a party that is selling authentic stuff or not. On the other hand, in some occassions, it's just too easy to spot a fake. In this case you can easily see you're dealing with fakes here...

This is the homepage of an online shop selling shoes called ourshoesbox.com. They sell many fake designer shoes among which a lot of fake Christian Louboutin shoes.

 
Does this layout seem familiar to you? Well, it looks a lot like this famous online designer shop!

Check out the layout of the famous webshop Net-a-Porter.com. See the similarities?

 Well, I think I might have even seen the picture on the homepage of Ourshoesbox.com before... Oh, wait a minute! It's copied from Net-a-Porter's online magazine of earlier this year!

Oh, and well, the layout  on the other pages of the website also looks a lot alike...

The counterfeitsite Ourshoesbox.com:

Net-a-porter's site:

The fake Christian Louboutin you would like to order is currently not in stock. But maybe you want to ple-order? It might be a bit difficult to read, but it actually says ple-order, instead of pre-order!!!

Ok, one more clue on how to know that we are dealing with fakes here: the price? It seems a bit low don't you agree?

Check stopfakelouboutin.com to see if a website is selling fake Louboutins or not! Please don't ever buy fakes!

Christian Louboutin must have been fed up with all the fakes floating around! He started a website stopfakelouboutin.com with the sole purpose to educate the public about their zero tolerance policy against counterfeits. As you can imagine I am very pleased to see that designers are taking more and more actions against fakes!

As mentioned so many times before: when something is too good to be true, there's a big fat chance it's a fake! The site reports that Louboutin shoes are not manufactured in China and that there is no factory in China that can sell legimate shoes to anyone.

Learn more about the actions Christian Louboutin is taking to fight the battle against counterfeits and to find a list of websites that are selling fake Louboutins and continue to read on stopfakelouboutin.com.

Who doesn't know My Brand's t-shirts, incorporating famous brands in the prints of their t-shirts? Brands such as Chanel, Hermes, YSL and Marc Jacobs.  Their clothing have been worn by many Dutch celebs and are currently flying off the shelves.

Although I would not have expected anything less than these t-shirts being extremely popular among fashionistas in The Netherlands aka "counterfeit-heaven", it is also no surprise to me that Chanel has ordered My Brand to stop selling the "Chanel inspired" t-shirts (because Chanel considers them to be fakes!).

My Brand t-shirts are often called designer inspired, however I prefer to call it infringement!

Something may be called infringement if the sign used by the infringer is identical or similar to a registered trademark (including association with a registered trademark). In case there is a likelihood of confusion (which in my view clearly is the case here), a trademark owner can object against the use of the infringing sign.

And honestly speaking, I'm not sure why people would like to wear something which is obviously fake and not very creatively designed. Why not save up a little bit more and buy something from the designer self instead of a knock-off? I would suggest to steer away from wearing something that makes you look like a wannabe. In my opinion, a real fan of these much coveted authentic brands would stay true to the designer and not buy a cheap fake!

Two questions that need to be answered in this respect:

1. would these t-shirts be equally popular if these brands were not incorporated in the prints?
2. do you think it's fair that My Brand makes a profit using other designer's brands and fame?

Well, you be the judge and decide whether the My Brand t-shirts are designer inspired or simply infringement:



My Brand "Chanel" t-shirt vs. Chanel's interlocking CC logo



My Brand "YSL" t-shirt vs. YSL logo



My Brand "Hermes" dress vs. Hermès logo (they even copied the figurative element)

Me wearing Diane von Furstenberg dress and Christian Louboutin shoes.

With popularity still growing, Christian Louboutin's shoes are widely copied and sold as authentics. During my regular visits to the trademark databases I stumbled upon a recently registered trademark of the red sole mark by Mr. Louboutin. I am happy to see that he has managed to register the red sole as a color mark in the Benelux and is now waiting for his Community Trademark Application to mature into a registration as well!



Christian Louboutin's Red Sole Mark.

Counterfeiters: hands off! It's not only copyright infringement but also infringement of registered trademark rights when copying Mr. Louboutin's red sole shoes!

eBay recently sent out a petition to everyone who ever bought or sold something on their online marketplace within the European Union. The petition is called: “Demand an end to unfair trade practices”.

In this petition eBay is asking people to sign the petition in order to have the EU competition law amended to stop these so-called “unfair trade practices” so that brands will no longer be able to block the sales of their products at online marketplaces and other websites regardless whether these products are new, second-hand, authentic or fake.

However, eBay did not mention that these brands had decided to take these drastic measures after unfruitful requests to eBay asking them to take appropriate measures against the sale of counterfeit products.

Also, did you know that eBay has been involved in numerous law suits in the past couple of years?

In France, eBay lost a counterfeit lawsuit filed by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), which is the owner of  Louis Vuitton , amongst others. According to LVMH, eBay did not take appropriate action against fake Louis Vuitton bags, accessories and fake perfumes being offered on the eBay website. In this case the judge decided that eBay had to pay a fine of 40 million Euros for the sale of counterfeit products of LVMH to LVMH.

Hermès also successfully sued eBay for the sale of two fake Hermès handbags. Both eBay and the seller were sentenced to pay 20,000 Euros to Hermès.

Brand owners Tiffany and L’Oréal were also involved in lawsuits against eBay for the alleged sale of fake products in the past.

And finally, last week, footwear and accessories designer Steve Madden sued eBay for fake watches being sold on their online marketplace. According to Steve Madden eBay has not only failed to remove all watches with the Steve Madden trademark from their website," the Long Island City-based company said. eBay also "has failed to take any steps to police the eBay auction site."

Would you as a buyer not want to have the security of buying an authentic product instead of having the risk of buying a fake? Would it not be much better to know that you can trust online marketplaces for taking all the necessary measures to prevent the sale of counterfeits on their site, giving consumers the confidence that they can safely purchase products on their website?

Before you decide to sign this petition, please think clearly about the consequences of doing so! It looks like brand owners are trying to make it as difficult as possible for us consumers to simply buy and sell stuff online. However, this is not the case. After trying to find a solid partner in online marketplaces to prevent the sales of counterfeit goods with no success, the brand owners find themselves in a position where they apparently have no other options left than to take much more drastic measures.

Therefore buyer beware! If you sign this petition, you might just increase the risk of buying a fake online!

The All American Brand Abercrombie & Fitch is suffering from huge amounts of counterfeits. As reported earlier on my site, they are even paying special attention to brand protection and are informing their customers about the risk of buying a fake.

For your information: the only way to get your hands on your very own Abercrombie & Fitch clothing is through one of their US, Canadian or UK stores, shopping their company websites, or ordering through their A&F catalog. I am still waiting for the first A&F in The Netherlands.

Apparantly, there is a bigger need for Abercrombie & Fitch than they can provide for. For the second time in three months, officials in Norfolk have seized more than 14,000 pairs of fake Abercrombie & Fitch jeans, with a value of more than $ 1 million.

Abercrombie & Fitch is actively acting against counterfeits. You can help out by reporting a counterfeit A&F. You can call them toll free from the United States at 866.901.FAKE (3253). From outside the US, you can call them direct at +1 614.283.8100. Or send them an email: BP_Tips@abercrombie.com.

Still not convinced after reading my previous article on fake designer shoes web shops? The New York Daily News also posted a very elaborate and informative article on fake designer shoes web shops. Personally, I believe this article is a must read! Read this article now and hopefully you will understand why buying a fake is simply not acceptable!

Just to give you a highlight. Did you know that:

- tens of thousands of online shoppers are falling for the latest variety of fakes flooding the Internet;
- despite ultra-convincing pictures and claims that the Web sites are run directly by the designers and the footwear is individually crafted in Europe, it's a scam;
- The goods are neither handmade nor exclusive. They are mass-produced in China.

You can read this must read article here.

How to recognize a fake Christian Louboutin shoe:

Picture taken from the original article on the New York Daily News

There is an explosion of websites offering fake designer shoes. Counterfeits of Christian Louboutin’s shoes are being offered on sites such as ChristianLouboutinLondon.com, where shoppers can purchase them for around 70% of the price you would pay for the real deal.

These kind of sites will show pictures of authentic designer shoes, but the actual shoes you purchase will be fake.

Both Retail Week and The Daily Mail have placed articles about this on their website. If you would like to read more on this subject, please click here for the article of Retail Week and here for The Daily Mail.

Just to give you an idea how big this problem really is: while reading the article on The Daily Mail, I noticed this Google add offering obviously is fake Christian Louboutin shoes…

 
Screenshot of the article surrounded by fake 'Christian Louboutins' ads

A 28-year old man was arrested in New York last Saturday on a trademark counterfeit charge after a police officer stopped him for driving through a red light. The very observant police officer saw that the two purses this man was showing him had fake Dolce & Gabanna labels.

When investigating the van, the officer found out that the van was packed with 10,000 pieces of counterfeit Tiffany jewelry and fake Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Burberry handbags (3,000) and wallets (2,000).

Read the full article here.

Photo of seized counterfeits

Shocking and disturbing! Just read in the news that most counterfeits within the European Union have been seized in The Netherlands last year. The Netherlands have a leading position with 65 million out of the 178 million seized counterfeits.

The amount of counterfeits is increasing enormously and is showing a growth of 126% in 2008 compared to 2007, when 79 million counterfeits were seized.

Among these 178 million counterfeits, 20 million were of potential risk for human health, including fake medicines, food stuffs, toys and products for personal hygiene.

Most seized counterfeits were cd’s and dvd’s, good for 44% in total. Followed by cigarettes, clothing and accessories.

It just makes me sad to see that there is no awareness whatsoever in this country and that people are merely looking at what is in their own benefit instead of caring for society and how all these counterfeits are poisoning our world! Perhaps the Dutch really are, as foreigners would say, a bunch of "cheap" people. And that might be the reason why lots of Dutch people live by the rule of "voor een dubbeltje op de eerste rang willen zitten." Which means that you want the best, but you are not willing to pay for it! Hence, our leading position in seized counterfeits!

I have a dream! And that is to see that the world will no longer tolerate counterfeits. In times like these (with the credit crunch) we need to stand still and think of what is really important to all of us. We have been spending money like crazy, to show others how well we are doing. Brands played a big role in all that. You know, we can still distinguish ourselves with wearing certain (designer) brands, but we need to start realizing that authenticity is the key word! That means you should only wear and buy things that are authentic. Don’t be cheap, never buy fake! Fakes are for wannabe’s!

Be an authentic person and ban everything fake!

DOLCE & BANANA?!?!

Ever heard of Vaino laptops from Sony or mobile phones from Suny Elicsson or the popular Blueberry?

Counterfeits come in every shape and form! To get an impression of the diversity of fakes and the faults counterfeiters make, such as misspellings, please visit this website and have a good laugh: http://www.pmdm.fr/wp/2009/06/01/betisier-des-contrefacons-6/

De meest gedragen jeans ever:  Levi’s 501.  Ontworpen door Levi Strauss en Jacob Davis in 1873 en inmiddels alweer 136 jaar oud. Op dit ontwerp vroegen beide heren een octrooi aan voor hun innovatieve ontwerp en op 20 mei  van datzelfde jaar heeft de US Patent and Trademark Office het patent met nummer 139,121 aan Levi Strauss verleend.

Het octrooi zag er als volgt uit:



Voor degenen die het zich altijd al afvroegen … patent is het Engelse woord voor octrooi. Er is dus geen verschil tussen beide termen.

Veel gehoorde misinterpretatie: een octrooi (of patent) is géén merk! Je kan dus nooit een patent op een merk verkrijgen.

In navolging op mijn eerdere bericht over Louis Vuitton’s artikel over namaak van haar producten heb ik eens gekeken hoe het zit met andere “namaak-gevoelige” merken.

Het blijkt dat ook andere merken die veelvuldig met namaak te maken hebben inmiddels de noodzaak hebben gezien om hun klanten te waarschuwen voor de namaakproducten van hun merken die er in de omloop zijn.

Zomaar wat voorbeelden:

UGG Australia van Deckers



Abercrombie & Fitch



Burberry



Geregistreerde merken zijn eigendommen van de merkeigenaren. Je kunt ze dan wel niet vastpakken, dit betekent niet dat er andere regels gelden. Merken zijn intellectueel eigendom. Als je zonder toestemming de merken van een ander gebruikt of de producten van een ander kopieert pleeg je inbreuk op iemands intellectueel eigendom.

Het toonaangevende Amerikaanse fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar strijd al jaren via haar campagne “The Harper’s Bazaar Fakes Are Never In Fashion” tegen namaakartikelen. Zij doen dit door het rapporteren van alle criminele activiteiten die gepaard gaan met de verkoop van luxe namaakartikelen, zoals kinderarbeid, drugssmokkel en zelfs terrorisme.

Zo meldt de site shockerende cijfers over namaak:

• $ 600 miljard aan geschatte jaarlijkse verkopen van namaakproducten wereldwijd
• $ 512 miljard aan wereldwijde verliezen door namaakgoederen
• $ 250 miljard jaarlijkse verliezen van Amerikaanse bedrijven door inbreuk op intellectueel eigendom
• 750.000 verloren banen door inbreuk op intellectueel eigendom in de Verenigde Staten
• C.a. 10% aan namaakproducten onder alle producten die jaarlijks wereldwijd geproduceerd worden!!!

Bekijk snel de site voor veel meer informatie en tips hoe je namaak kunt herkennen!



In verband met deze campagne wijdt zij al jaren in haar januari-editie een uitgebreid artikel aan deze problematiek. Haal nu snel de januari-editie of download de artikelen hier als pdf-bestand.


Voor alle fashionata’s onder ons … als Harper’s Bazaar zegt dat namaak nooit in de mode is? Nou, eh trek daar maar je eigen conclusie uit!

Het loopt de spuigaten uit al dat namaak! Vroeger konden merken zich focussen op marketing en reclame van hun producten om zo de verkoop van hun producten op te schroeven. Tegenwoordig zijn diverse merken genoodzaakt om een groot gedeelte van hun budget te besteden aan de bestrijding van namaak. Eén van de merken die extreem veel te maken heeft met namaak is Louis Vuitton.

Zij hebben zich zelfs genoodzaakt gezien om op hun site een notice te plaatsen met de melding dat ze een zero tolerance beleid hanteren als het om namaakproducten gaat. Zo hebben ze vorig jaar o.a. 13.000 juridische acties tegen namaakproducten gestart en zijn er vorig jaar 1.000 inbreukmakers gearresteerd.

Let op: authentieke Louis Vuitton producten zijn alleen te koop bij de Louis Vuitton winkels en via de websites www.louisvuitton.com en www.eluxury.com.

Wees dus voorzichtig dat je niet opgescheept wordt met een namaak als je via andere kanalen iets van Louis Vuitton wilt aanschaffen!
Besef je goed dat dit grote budget voor de bestrijding van namaak de consument uiteindelijk direct in de portemonnee zal raken… De prijzen van de authentieke producten zal hoger komen te liggen, door de kosten die gemaakt dienen te worden voor de acties die Louis Vuitton dient te ondernemen.

Mocht je dus jezelf zoet willen houden met een goedkope knock-off totdat je voldoende geld hebt verzameld voor een echte tas? Spaar dan nog maar even wat langer door, je hebt er meteen voor gezorgd dat dat echte tasje ook wat duurder is geworden door jouw knock-offje! Hopelijk neem je dit in je overwegingen mee als je in de verleiding, die namaak heet, wordt gebracht!

Je hebt een paar uggs op het oog en vraagt je af of ze echt zijn. In dit artikel focus ik me met name op uggs van UGG Australia van Deckers. Allereerst is er een verschil tussen namaakproducten, de zogenaamde counterfeits en andere ugg-merken. Ugg is de soortnaam voor de soort laarzen van origine afkomstig uit Australië.

UGG Australia is één merk ugg-laars. Er zijn nog vele andere merken die uggs aanbieden (en ook andere modellen). Denk o.a. aan Jumbo en Love from Australia.

UGG Australia is een geregistreerd merk. Zo is het logo van UGG Australia in de Benelux geregistreerd onder het registratienummer 829991 en staat op naam van Deckers Outdoor Corporation, Delaware corporation. Uiteraard hebben zij registraties over de hele wereld!


 

Dit logo is dus eigendom van Deckers en mag niet zonder toestemming van Deckers gebruikt worden door een derde partij. Met name niet door anderen die eveneens ugg-laarzen produceren en verkopen.

Het is anderen toegestaan een ugg-laars te fabriceren en te verkopen met gebruik van hun eigen merk. Het is dus nimmer toegestaan om zonder toestemming het logo van UGG Australia te gebruiken voor ugg-laarzen niet afkomstig van Decker. Dit is inbreuk!!! En dus in strijd met de wet!

De wet bepaalt dat het verboden is namaak te produceren, verkopen en zelfs te bezitten! Het bezit wordt enkel gedoogd omdat het onmogelijk is op te treden tegen al het namaak.

Helaas wordt op het internet meer namaak dan authentieke UGG Australia uggs aangeboden. Voorzichtigheid is dus geboden wanneer je besluit uggs op het internet aan te schaffen.

Wees goed voorbereid en weet wat je koopt!

Klik hier voor meer informatie over hoe je namaak uggs van echte kunt onderscheiden.

Hou daarnaast het volgende nog in gedachte:

Het zogenaamde “echtheidscertificaat” is geen echt echtheidscertificaat en is totaal geen garantie dat het product authentiek is.

De aanwezigheid van het ®-teken op de zool is eveneens geen garantie dat het een authentieke UGG Australia ugg is.

Het vermelden van het ®-teken en echtheidscertificaten is juist een teken dat het zeer waarschijnlijk om neppers gaat, want bij echte uggs van UGG Australia behoeft dat niet gemeld te worden. Daar ga je immers toch al vanuit, dat die kenmerken erbij/eraan zitten? Bovendien zullen de namakers uiteraard alle kenmerken zo goed mogelijk namaken. Als ze al die moeite doen om de laarzen zo echt mogelijk te laten lijken, is het kleine moeite om ook de certificaten en dozen na te maken.

Oftewel, het ®-teken op de zool zegt absoluut niets bij de neppers. De echte UGG Australia uggs hebben dat ®-teken juist om aan namakers aan te geven dat het merk UGG Australia en haar laarzen beschermd zijn!

Nog een goed teken dat de uggs nep zijn? De prijs! Voor niets gaat de zon op! Waarom zou iemand die beweert authentieke ugg-laarzen te verkopen deze ver onder de aanbevolen vraagprijs aanbieden (soms zelfs voor slechts de helft van de prijzen in de winkel)? Met als gevolg dat ze zeer weinig winst of zelfs verlies zullen leiden? Ook deze leverancier moet gewoon zijn boterham verdienen.

Alleen namaakproducten, die voor veel minder geld geproduceerd worden, kunnen ook voor een veel lagere prijs verkocht worden. Deze producten hebben bovendien lagere kosten aangezien ze o.a. geen reclamekosten hebben. Zij teren immers op het succes van UGG Australia.

Biedt de leverancier enorme hoeveelheden uggs aan? Nog een teken dat ze nep zullen zijn. Als de officiële dealers al zoveel moeite hebben om aan voorraden te komen. Hoe komen deze andere verkopers dan met zoveel gemak wel aan tientallen of honderden uggs? Voorkeursbehandeling boven de officiële dealers?

Wees daarnaast er ook op bedacht dat foto’s nooit een garantie zijn. Hoe vaak komt het wel niet voor dat er een authentiek paar gefotografeerd wordt en er vervolgens een geheel ander paar (lees: namaak) bij je bezorgd wordt?

Hou altijd in gedachten dat als een aanbieding te goed om waar te zijn is, dat zeer waarschijnlijk ook zo zal zijn! Helaas maar waar… goedkoop is vaak toch duurkoop!

Succes!

Namaakproducten een groter probleem dan je denkt!

Lekker van de zomer in Turkije geweest en toen een paar geweldige namaaktassen op de kop getikt? Of op internet voor een prikkie die namaak Uggs gekocht? Wat maakt zo’n aanschaf nou uit? En wie doe je daar nou kwaad mee, toch? Helaas maakt het wel degelijk uit dat je je hebt laten verleiden dat de aanschaf van een namaakproduct. De hoeveelheid namaakproducten in de omloop is schrikbarend toegenomen de afgelopen tijd.

Zo blijkt uit cijfers over de hoeveelheid geconfisqueerde namaakproducten in 2007 die de Europese Commissie eerder dit jaar heeft gepubliceerd. Uit deze cijfers blijkt de douane in de gehele Europese Unie voor meer dan 79 miljoen namaakproducten in beslag heeft genomen! En dit schijnt slechts “the tip of the iceberg” te zijn.

Vergeleken met de cijfers van 2006 blijkt dat er een toename is in verscheidene productgroepen. Naast namaakmedicijnen, die met 51% zijn toegenomen is er een schrikbarende stijging van 264% in namaakproducten op het gebied van persoonlijke verzorging, zoals crèmes, tandpasta en scheermesjes.

Met name door de toename van het aanbod van namaak via internet heeft ertoe geleid dat het aantal namaakproducten dat binnen de EU wordt gebracht gigantisch is toegenomen.

Hopelijk komt er een moment dat consumenten zich gaan realiseren dat namaakproducten echt heel schadelijk kunnen zijn. Niet alleen worden namaakproducten zeer regelmatig in verband gebracht met kinderarbeid, ook gaan er diverse verhalen de ronde dat terroristische groeperingen geld genereren door de fabricage en verkoop van namaakproducten.

Voor meer cijfers of meer informatie check de site van de Europese Commissie over namaakproducten binnen de Europese Unie.

 vs.  

Met het nummer Viva la Vida had Coldplay een wereldhit te pakken. Zowel hier in Nederland als in de Verenigde Staten en Verenigd Koninkrijk bereikten ze de nummer 1 positie.

Helaas voor Coldplay worden ze nu door Joe Satriani beschuldigd van plagiaat. Volgens hem is in het nummer Viva la Vida een gedeelte van zijn instrumentale nummer If I could fly gebruikt, oftewel zijn melodie en akkoordwisselingen zijn gekopieerd door Coldplay en verwerkt in hun nummer. Dit zonder toestemming van Joe Satriani.

Hij eist nu schadevergoeding en vergoeding voor de misgelopen winst.

Volgens Coldplay berust alles op pure toeval dat hun nummer zoveel overeenkomsten vertoont met If I could fly.

Deze claim komt wel voor Coldplay op een zeer ongelegen moment, ze zijn net voor 7 Grammy’s genomineerd (o.a. voor het nummer Viva la Vida en het gelijknamige album).

Oordeel zelf:

Coldplay - Viva la Vida


Joe Satriani – If I could fly


Saillant detail: ik had een mooie bewerking op Youtube gevonden waarbij beide liedjes over elkaar heen werden geplaatst waardoor je nog beter de overeenkomsten/verschillen kon horen van beide nummers. Heel “toevallig” is dit filmpje nu van Youtube verwijderd op verzoek van EMI Music, omdat dit filmpje de auteursrechten zou schenden. Auteursrechten van wie?