Brands Fight Online Deluge of Counterfeit Goods

WWD: April 04, 2007

Online sales of counterfeit goods are soaring, and apparel and accessories companies are fighting back. An estimated $87 billion worth of counterfeit goods of all kinds were sold online in 2005, said Andrew Horton, director of product management for MarkMonitor, an online brand protection company based in San Francisco.

The problem has worsened because of a wider acceptance of online shopping and a growing appetite for designer branded goods, said Susan Scafidi, an author and law professor at Southern Methodist University who specializes in copyright and intellectual property rights. She also writes the popular blog Counterfeit Chic. www.counterfeitchic.com. It posts interesting stories all relating to counterfeitgoods.

As we have discussed in class, the issue of counterfeit goods has become a global dilema for fashion and accessories companies. I think it is becoming easier to purchase counterfeit goods on the streets but even easier to purchase online because of identity fraud. It is easy for people to hide online, selling an item that doesn't even resemble what the customer actually gets.

Because of this growing dilema, companies have started to take action by hiring companies such as MarkMonitor and OpSec to keep track of counterfeit sales online. I think this is a step in the right direction for restricting the sales of counterfeit goods.

By Adrian Reamey