Score one ( or 300+ !! ) for the good guys!

[bhsup]

I'm surprised I didn't hear about this until today, two days after the fact.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news...tle-Merchandise-Counterfeiting-138634189.html

U.S. Homeland Security officials say the flow of counterfeit goods into the United States is on the rise, and is especially a problem ahead of big sporting events, such as Sunday's Super Bowl. But federal agents are striking back. They recently seized more $6 million in merchandise and shut down more than 300 illegal websites as part of "Operation Fake Sweep”.

Personally, I think this makes the megaupload seizure look like child's play. The scope of this is awesome and a great blow against internet piracy, don't you think? And not just piracy, but counterfeit goods that have no business being in our markets as well!!

One thing I am a bit curious about, though, is the timing so close to the Superbowl. Do you suppose the timing is meant to help the NFL as a corporate benefit, or do you think it is because more of these sites naturally pop up right before the big game? I'm inclined to go with reason #2.

 

[civver_764]

These counterfeit merchants could be scummy guys for all sorts of reasons but I can't say I don't support taking a bite out of corporate profits.

 

[BasketCase]

I'm surprised I didn't hear about this until today, two days after the fact.

From the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the first time an alien spacecraft landed in London, it was a worldwide event. When a second alien spacecraft landed in London soon after, it was less of a buzz. The third spacecraft only made the local news.

The first Megaupload was the one that made the front page. After that it's "oh, gee, not again??"

 

[Quintillus]

I'm pretty sure the timing has very much to do with the Big Game. Do it three months ago, and half of them will pop up again before the Big Game. Do it last week, and the goods aren't on the street before Sunday and even if the websites relocate, people won't know where they located to.

Stopping ripoff counterfeits is certainly good - it does the consumer no good to buy what they think is the real deal only to find out later that it's a low-quality fake. On the other hand, I don't have a problem with unofficial merchandise that doesn't pretend to be the official version. I've received more compliments on my creative knock-off English football jersey than I ever would have if I'd bought a "real" one. So if someone made a nice, unusual cap with "Super Bowl" on it that didn't look like the "real" ones, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

 

[amadeus]

Tax money well spent.

Tax money. Well, spent.

 

[Narz]

Oh noes, a fake Superbowl hat, those monsters!

Meanwhile 1 out of 4 women is sexually abused in this country & energy & environmental crises loom.

I pretty much have to agree with amadeus here. What a friggin' waste.

People who buy branded merchandise are tools, people who buy bootleg branded merchandise are merely more frugal tools.

 

[Zelig]

Stopping ripoff counterfeits is certainly good - it does the consumer no good to buy what they think is the real deal only to find out later that it's a low-quality fake. On the other hand, I don't have a problem with unofficial merchandise that doesn't pretend to be the official version. I've received more compliments on my creative knock-off English football jersey than I ever would have if I'd bought a "real" one. So if someone made a nice, unusual cap with "Super Bowl" on it that didn't look like the "real" ones, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

This is pretty much my opinion.

 

[Miles Teg]

Meanwhile 1 out of 4 women is sexually abused in this country & energy & environmental crises loom.

I too am often disturbed by how little involved in environmental politics Customs and Border Protection is.

 

[Mise]

Stopping ripoff counterfeits is certainly good - it does the consumer no good to buy what they think is the real deal only to find out later that it's a low-quality fake. On the other hand, I don't have a problem with unofficial merchandise that doesn't pretend to be the official version. I've received more compliments on my creative knock-off English football jersey than I ever would have if I'd bought a "real" one. So if someone made a nice, unusual cap with "Super Bowl" on it that didn't look like the "real" ones, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

This is pretty much my opinion.

I came here to say basically what Quintillus said, then after reading it, what Zelig said. Cheap ripoffs = bad. Unofficial alternatives = good.

 

[Narz]

I too am often disturbed by how little involved in environmental politics Customs and Border Protection is.

I'm just saying, it's not really worth any fuss.

I still don't get the big deal about fake ripoffs. If people are happy with the product & don't notice the difference, what's the problem? It's not like these are condoms or something where quality counts, they're stupid football caps. I guess it's copywrite infringement using the Giants logo and all. Still I can't get too outraged about it with all the sick & twisted things going on in the world.

 

[Mise]

Personally, I'd rather buy a cheaper, unofficial version of something, even if it's of lower quality. But I need to know what I'm buying. I need to know that I'm buying a cheapo knockoff -- and with the corresponding likelihood that it was made by a kid in Vietnam for 10¢ per day, or in some factory in China that pollutes rivers and bullies farmers off their land -- and not the genuine article (which may be guilty of the same ills).

Additionally, there may be other concerns about some products, such as safety (e.g. toys or power tools). For example, I'd happily buy a Disney toy for a small child that had been subjected to British safety standards, but a cheap Chinese knockoff? I don't trust them. I know that Disney products have been safety tested to a fairly high degree, whereas the cheap knockoff hasn't. But if both products look identical, and the knockoff even has a fake toy safety lion mark on the package, then that's a huge problem.

For me, the consumer, the point is more about false advertising (i.e. lying about what the product actually is) than about protecting the brand of a multimillion dollar global corporation. Happily, it's one of those situations where the interests of ordinary people and the interests of large corporations coincide.

 

[Rashiminos]

The DHS had a fundraiser, how quaint.

 

[bombshoo]

I think it's a good thing. Although I can't speak for the specific counterfeit goods here, a lot of counterfeit stuff is made with forced labor and the trade in it indirectly funds other, more heinous criminal activities such as drug and gun running.

 

[Glassfan]

I'm just saying, it's not really worth any fuss.

I still don't get the big deal about fake ripoffs. If people are happy with the product & don't notice the difference, what's the problem? It's not like these are condoms or something where quality counts, they're stupid football caps. I guess it's copywrite infringement using the Giants logo and all. Still I can't get too outraged about it with all the sick & twisted things going on in the world.

Counterfeits harm the authentic manufacturers, designers and employees. Consumers are lied to and cheated. What you may think is stupid might be precious to someone else. Copywrite infringment is a crime and must be prosecuted, just like any other. The things you go on about above such as abused women are also important but are handled in their own venues. Law enforcement and the courts pursue many different types of crime, though seldom to everyone's satisfaction. They're only human.

 

[warpus]

Hooray! No more counterfeit superblow hats

 

[Glassfan]

Hooray! No more counterfeit superblow hats

If you were a small businessman, paying a licensing fee for the product, a decent wage to your workers, a family to support, overhead and taxes, your profits would suddenly disappear in the face of counterfeits. You might have to lay off your workers and would personally suffer and perhaps go bankrupt. I guess it depends on who's bull is being gored.

What do you do for a living Warpus? What if criminal activity in your area resulted in you being layed-off? Suddenly you might become very interested in law enforcement efforts to arrest and prosecute those who have hurt you.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Tax money well spent.

Tax money. Well, spent.

This got a chuckle out of me.

Word play. Well, done.

 

[Zelig]

If you were a small businessman, paying a licensing fee for the product, a decent wage to your workers, a family to support, overhead and taxes, your profits would suddenly disappear in the face of counterfeits. You might have to lay off your workers and would personally suffer and perhaps go bankrupt. I guess it depends on who's bull is being gored.

What do you do for a living Warpus? What if criminal activity in your area resulted in you being layed-off? Suddenly you might become very interested in law enforcement efforts to arrest and prosecute those who have hurt you.

Are you being serious?

I'm not sure if this is worthy of a serious reply.

 

[warpus]

If you were a small businessman, paying a licensing fee for the product, a decent wage to your workers, a family to support, overhead and taxes, your profits would suddenly disappear in the face of counterfeits. You might have to lay off your workers and would personally suffer and perhaps go bankrupt. I guess it depends on who's bull is being gored.

What do you do for a living Warpus? What if criminal activity in your area resulted in you being layed-off? Suddenly you might become very interested in law enforcement efforts to arrest and prosecute those who have hurt you.

I have a feeling counterfitting is going to continue no matter what the cops do. Sure, they can clamp down in a big publicized move like this, but in the long run such moves are not designed to hurt counterfitters but rather pay "we're doing something" lip service. The real "action" happens behind the scenes.

As for your question, I work at a university. My job wouldn't be in jeopardy if another (illegitimate) university set up shop in town, right beside ours.

 

[Narz]

Last night I had a dream I was living in Queens again (where I was when I first joined CFC) and I bought an expensive chess clock (a brand that is very rugged & will last well over a decade) that turned out to fall apart almost immediately. When I woke up I understood why people would get pissed off over electric knockoffs that pretend to be what they are not.

Despite Glassfan's concerns I still don't feel too sad about knockoff clothing goods. Sure it hurts the legitimate manufactures but that's competition though. Walmart has caused far more pain than any bootlegged, running Main St's across the country out of business (deliberately often).

Most of this branded merchandise isn't really all that high quality, it's made in the same crappy sweatshops (unless it says "Made in USA" I guess like American Apparel), they just paid big money to the NBA or NFL to use their logo. They should just use a slightly altered version instead of quote fair use.