Counterfeit news and archive

Premier Brands Group faces legal dispute from Levi’s over ‘counterfeit trafficking’

Denim brand Levi Strauss & Co. has filed a legal complaint against Premier Brands Group (PBG) in which it claims the New York-based firm had carried out a “large-scale counterfeit trafficking operation” that infringed on its trademarks. In a filing with the California Northern District Court (case number 3:25-cv-03863), seen and initially...

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Business

TikTok exploits trade war to shift fake luxury goods

TikTok abounds with viral videos accusing prestigious brands of secretly manufacturing luxury goods in China so they can be sold at cut prices. But while these "revelations" are spurious, behind them lurks a well-oiled machine for selling counterfeit goods that is making the most of the confusion surrounding trade tariffs. Chinese content...

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Business

How TikTok is disrupting the luxury handbag market

A curious phenomenon is unfolding on TikTok, where videos of “luxury handbags” straight from Chinese factories are racking up millions of views. On the surface, these clips are merely the latest in a long line of viral content. But beneath the algorithm-driven virality lies a more disquieting reality for the global fashion industry:...

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Make It Fair: How UK creative industries are fighting back against Big Tech AI

The rapid technological advancements of the past year have caused a significant global shift, leaving many struggling to keep up. The long-term impact of dominant technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), on specific industries remains uncertain. In the UK, tensions surrounding such a topic have risen in recent months, as the...

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EU's e-commerce crackdown: A new era for fashion industry protection

According to a recent Financial Times report, the European Union is set to dramatically reshape the e-commerce landscape with new regulations targeting major platforms like Shein, Temu, and Amazon Marketplace. The proposed reforms would make these platforms directly liable for dangerous or counterfeit products sold through their sites - a...

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How to become an expert in fashion anti-counterfeiting?

The burgeoning second-hand market has thrust a profession once shrouded in obscurity into the spotlight: the anti-counterfeit expert. It's a highly sought-after profession today, with many candidates and few chosen ones. Yet, the demand for experts in luxury goods is increasing as the second-hand fashion industry gains traction. "There's a...

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Dupe culture: The new threat to China's luxury sector

Luxury brands are facing a new landscape: the rise of dupes and the changing purchasing behaviours of Chinese consumers. As the Chinese economy transforms, consumer behaviour is also undergoing a significant shift. The rise of counterfeit products and the decline in demand for luxury products illustrate a broader paradigm shift. The rise of...

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Business|Interview

AAFA president on the US election year, counterfeiting and conscious regulation

The US election is continuing to heat up, with voting day now visibly on the horizon. While at the forefront of debates are the policies and outlooks presented by political candidates, there is much behind-the-scenes work by industry representatives that goes well beyond the deadlines of ballot entries. For fashion, the American Apparel &...

Fashion

The UK is the fake watch capital of the world, a study reveals

A recent analysis by Watches2U has unveiled a startling trend in the global market for counterfeit timepieces, with the UK emerging as the epicentre of online searches for fake watches. This development comes in the wake of a 2023 report that identified over one million counterfeit watches circulating in the UK market, accounting for a...

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Adidas loses its lawsuit against Isabel Marant and Sandro

In a major blow for Adidas, the Court of Cassation, France's supreme court for civil and criminal cases, definitively ruled on June 26, 2024 in favour of Isabel Marant and Sandro, thus ending six years of litigation. The German sportswear manufacturer filed a lawsuit in 2018, accusing the two fashion brands of counterfeiting its famous three...

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Fashion

Fake luxuries supplant tradition in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Cut-price branded perfumes and fake high-end handbags line the ornate alleys of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, with traditional merchants saying the luxury counterfeits are stripping the marketplace of its character. Where heritage Turkish crafts once flourished under the Ottoman-era marketplace's painted ceilings, the elegant carpet store run by...

Fashion

Tips from an expert: How to spot a fake designer handbag

Recent data reveals a concerning trend that a significant portion of young consumers, approximately 37 percent, purchased counterfeit designer goods in 2022. Moreover, the global counterfeit goods market exceeded the GDP of Austria and Ireland combined in 2019. This surge in counterfeit products has persisted, with estimates suggesting that up...