Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Counterfeit" in English language version.
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Wearing Apparel/Accessories topped the list for number of seizure lines with 26,891 products, representing 26.2% of all IPR seizures in FY 2023. Watches/Jewelry were among the top products seized in terms of total MSRP value with seizures valued at over $1 billion (USD), representing 38.4% of the total value of goods seized in FY 2023. Handbags/Wallets came in second with an estimated value of over $658 million (USD), corresponding to approximately 23.9% of the total value of goods seized due to intellectual property rights violations.
A counterfeit is the fraudulent copy of money, documents, designer pieces, or other valuable items.
Counterfeit food, beverages, pharmaceuticals and related personal care items which have been improperly formulated or which contain ingredients that are harmful can have effects ranging from mild inconveniences to consumers, to life-threatening situations. Moreover, in the case of pharmaceuticals, the lack of active ingredients can deprive consumers of the possibility to treat diseases effectively, thus prolonging illnesses that would otherwise be treatable.
In simple terms, counterfeits are imitations of real products that are manufactured without approval from the owner of the brand. Counterfeit products are usually of substantially lower quality than the authentic goods and can even be dangerous, as they are often poorly made or made using dangerous or toxic chemicals and materials. Unfortunately, many well-known and successful companies, spanning just about every industry, fall victim to counterfeiting.
Knock-offs, on the other hand, are designed to look like authentic products, but they are not exact replicas and may differ in some ways. Knock-offs also don't feature the trademark or logo of another brand, but will usually have the brand of the company that made them.
A new study shows counterfeit fashion goods contain dangerous levels of chemicals and heavy metals, with 36.2% of counterfeit products tested – including clothing, footwear, and other accessories – failing to comply with US product safety standards.
The CDC report, released to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day, found that from mid-2019 to the end of 2021, overdose deaths involving counterfeit drugs more than doubled, from 2% to 4.7%.
Counterfeit and pirated trade is a global and dynamic phenomenon. Recently, markets for IP-infringing products have become increasingly globalized and are affected by global trends. The post-crisis revival of trade, including growing market openings in many regions, the emergence and globalization of value chains, and booming e-commerce in global trade, underpin global market dynamics for both legitimate and counterfeit goods.
...and the term pirated describes tangible goods that infringe copyright.
China's role in counterfeit trade cannot be overstated. Counterfeit goods from China are estimated to make up approximately 12.5 % of China's total exports and over 1.5 % of its GDP...
Estimates published last year by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime put the human cost of falsified and substandard medicines at up to 500,000 deaths a year in sub-Saharan Africa.
...Counterfeits and dupes aren't technically the same. Dupes copy or imitate the physical appearance of other products but don't copy the brand name or logo of a trademarked item the way a counterfeit, or fake, does.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)Such items used to be called knockoffs...But now they're dupes, a Gen Z rebranding of fashion and beauty products that are cheaper versions of the real thing — duplicate, but also duplicity, since the wearer might trick someone into believing they bought designer.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)Estimates published last year by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime put the human cost of falsified and substandard medicines at up to 500,000 deaths a year in sub-Saharan Africa.
Such items used to be called knockoffs...But now they're dupes, a Gen Z rebranding of fashion and beauty products that are cheaper versions of the real thing — duplicate, but also duplicity, since the wearer might trick someone into believing they bought designer.
Unauthorized representation of a registered trademark carried on goods identical or similar to goods for which the trademark is registered, with a view to deceiving the purchaser into believing that he/she is buying the original goods.
(a) "counterfeit trademark goods" shall mean any goods, including packaging, bearing without authorization a trademark which is identical to the trademark validly registered in respect of such goods, or which cannot be distinguished in its essential aspects from such a trademark, and which thereby infringes the rights of the owner of the trademark in question under the law of the country of importation;
(b) 'pirated copyright goods' shall mean any goods which are copies made without the consent of the right holder or person duly authorized by the right holder in the country of production and which are made directly or indirectly from an article where the making of that copy would have constituted an infringement of a copyright or a related right under the law of the country of importation.