Only three miles from the headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC is in the heart of Georgetown, home to many trendiest boutiques of the capital. On the streets of Georgetown, you will see the latest fashions by Kate Spade ® ® bags and Rolex watches, the Washington Redskins ® ® Hermès scarves and hats, new Nike Jordan LX2 ® ® ™ NBA sneaker with Velcro ® straps. In fact, one could roller blade up to the display racks, like many of the hottest ®Styles are sold right on the sidewalk at prices that do not beat. ® A Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller ™ 4000 ™ will go back to thirty-five dollars. Inexplicably, a Hermès scarf ® is valid for approximately the same. And if you are blinded by this bargain, less than the price of an entrée at Café Milano, you can pick up a pair of Ray-Ban Undercurrent ® 4006 ™ sunglasses. Just do not use Windex ® or a clean Kleenex ® to the lenses, as it will wreck the cheapCoating. It is probably also a good idea not to smoke and avoid open flames while wearing that rolled by hand silk twill 'scarf. And not to the "Rolex" in order to leave time for this big job interview.
Counterfeits may offer a cheap entrée into a higher standard of living, but with every purchase of a knock-off handbag is the relative value of the real deal down. Patents and trademarks, so-called intellectual property, are the lifeblood of mostCompanies. Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and the same non-designers, filmmakers, athletes and artists rightly deserve for their creativity, be compensated for intelligence and hard work.
What distinguishes the most designer products are identical except for the strengths of the respective brands. Brand name luxury goods are expensive for a reason. Certainly, this has much to do with the quality of the goods, handicraft and service. More subjectively, to curb pricesfrom the cachet of owning the hottest fashion, that is, it is not just, how do these products, you or your family, but what do you see these items say about you, your style, your income and even your education and values.
Although the prices may seem high, the social cost of these knockoffs are enormous and can be measured in terms of jobs, tax revenue, health and safety, and today more than ever, national security. American and international law enforcement authorities confirmthat Al Qaeda and Hezbollah are actively engaged in the importation of counterfeit clothing, electronics and other goods and the proceeds to fund operations and attacks. In a hearing before the House International Relations Committee, Secretary General of Interpol, Richard Noble said that these terrorist groups, directly responsible for the murder of more than 3,000 Americans, 11 September 2001 and catastrophic terrorist attacks in Bali, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Africa and the ongoing attacks againstIsraelis. "We know that Al-Qaeda operatives have found with commercial size volumes of counterfeit goods. And if you an Al Qaeda with [fake products, it] like a roach found in your house. It should be enough to draw your attention to to them, "Noble testified. It is a sad irony that in New York Canal Street, the purchasers of products knockoff s can unknowingly funding the very terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the World Trade Centerthat stood just blocks away.
U.S. law enforcement spends hundreds of millions of tax dollars each year to pursue the international criminal syndicates responsible for designing, manufacturing and smuggling that watch (along with dangerous fake drugs) and thousands of other products across our borders. Counterfeit goods and smuggling is a tax free, unlicensed and unregulated industry that is estimated to cost the U.S. economy a staggering $200 billion dollars each year according to The Piracy International Coalition (IACC). Remember: Hundreds of thousands of jobs go at any level; billion annually in local, state and federal tax revenue down the drain. Twenty-five or $ 30 at a time when this money is flowing from the community and upstream overseas black and gray market groups to undermine their activities and corrupt foreign governments.
At a time when our law enforcement resources are stretched thin in a global war on terror, ask yourself whythe FBI to go to the trouble of counterfeiters. Fact is, they will often work hand in hand. The links between terrorism and counterfeiting is not a theory. They are not scaremongering capital's fears of the people and patriotism. They are indisputable facts. Here are just some of them are from an IACC Fact Sheet:
"Should set up Operation Green Quest - a multi-agency task force by the Treasury Department and identify, disrupt and dismantle terrorist financialInfrastructure and funding sources - has explicitly recognized as a source of counterfeit goods systems to finance terrorism. "
"On February 28, 2003, Mohamad Hammoud was to 155 years in prison for helping run a cigarette-smuggling operation ordered that money sent to Hezbollah."
"The federal authorities have several investigations under way examining evidence suggesting that Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist networks counterfeit products could be sold to pay forits global operations ... Law enforcement officials said they are investigating millions of dollars of counterfeit software operations based in Ciudad del Este, in eastern Paraguay, are believed to have money in order to divert the Middle Eastern groups with ties to terrorism. Some of the suspects are of Lebanese origin and were arrested by the Paraguayan authorities on information from the U.S. government, the official said. "
"In 1996, Business Week reported that the FBI had examined the link between counterfeit goods sales in New York and the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. "
"After the private investigator conducting the search, a raid in a souvenir shop in midtown Manhattan led to the seizure of a suitcase full of counterfeit watches and the discovery of flight manuals for Boeing 767s, some with handwritten notes in Arabic. A similar attack on a counterfeit handbag shop in New>York uncovered faxes relating to the purchase of bridge inspection equipment. Two weeks after the raid on the handbag shop, police in New Jersey were investigating an assault on a Lebanese member of an organized crime syndicate. During a search of the man’s apartment, authorities found fake drivers’ licenses and lists of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists – including the names of some workers in the handbag shop that had been raided.”
“Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles to investigate the possible involvement of the Wah Ching Chinese organized crime syndicate in counterfeit software ring. A RAID-March 1995 in Los Angeles, netted more than 10.5 million U.S. dollars in counterfeit Microsoft software, holograms, shotguns, pistols, TNT and plastic explosives. Officials believe the three groups of organized crime were involved. The case began with check forging to escalate abduction and finally found a link to product counterfeiting. This is just one of manyTo celebrate examples of links between piracy, organized crime and the violence of these groups. "
Of course, it is certainly not a piece to the conclusion that criminal syndicates is successful, that would slip hundreds of tons of illegal goods through our ports and borders every year have little difficulty in adding a few dozen Stinger shoulder-to-air missile to an order .
In addition to the social costs are usually the products of inferior qualitywhich lead to injuries. Take advantage of knock-off sunglasses. Together with the cheap materials, the labels say 100% UV protection are also fake. Open as a result of the tinted plastic lenses to trick your retina, so that harmful UV rays enter the unprotected eyes. In fact, you are much better not wear sunglasses, as such, with questionable UV protection. One might think that a fake clock, pirated "Finding Nemo" DVD, or wannabe Gucci will not kill youanyone. It is not so simple. Behind the street vendors who sell that film or fashion accessory is often a chain of criminal activity that extends throughout the world and the finances of the unregulated practices that crank out potentially deadly look-alike prescription drugs and even baby food. It is not enough.
The IACC reports that 12 billion U.S. dollars in fake auto parts sold in the U.S. each year at a price of 210,000 workers. And unlike the $ 25 fake scarf, youCan not figure out if your brake pads are in real terms by an insurance company is picking through the charred wreckage of your minivan. Fake airplane parts were also involved in numerous fatal crashes, some of our soldiers and airmen.
How do you tell the genuine from the fakes? It's easier than you think. With hundreds of knockoffs for every genuine article, a complete list would be the size of a phone book. Here's a primer.
Location
High-end fashions are usually sold out of their own company owned stores or through authorized department stores and boutiques. They are almost never sold at discount warehouses and "overstock" stores, where many fakes tend to show himself. Finding out is certainly often as simple as a visit to the designer's website or calling its 800 number. Avoid "boutique", whose main architectural feature is chicken wire, to have backfired, idles around, stock or parking tickets on theWindshield.
The number of "imitation" and "designer inspired" goods online retailer is breathtaking. In fact, more than ten percent of the counterfeit goods are sold online now. High-end designer clothes are often sold through online auctions and discounters. While eBay and other online auction houses strictly prohibit the sale - especially retail sale - counterfeit goods is often difficult to enforce. If an online merchant is uncovered counterfeits, theyoften within a few days under a new web address. A short visit to the website of the designer you will know who is entitled to sell their goods.
To protect consumers, official sports merchandise sold is not of people roaming the stadium parking lots or adjacent streets, as with other brand products, official team and league apparel is sold exclusively through authorized resellers and through official Licensee made.
Price
If the price seems togood to be true, it is. They have much to say about that Rolex Daytona but you're not going to a clamshell thirty-five dollars.
Execution
Real-DVD movies do not silhouette of people with huge bags of popcorn went before the crowd. They are not for sale before the movie hits theaters. And if the movie is still playing at the theater on the street, chances are that the DVD of this film is a fake. With thousands of productsfalsified, it is impossible for the many characteristics of the respective list. Once again, the official websites often have pages that tell how they paid on the spot fakes.
Manufacturers are fighting back by hiring private investigators and patent attorneys to bring legal action against counterfeiters, and even the street vendors that sell the goods. In only one case, a private investigator who was a lawyer, the major consumers --Products Manufacturers put a customer on the lookout for fake Cartier watches. The Toronto Globe & Mail reported that the undercover investigation yielded valuable information about the "good relations" Counterfeiters and advocate of manufacturers is currently negotiating an action settlements, more than $ 1,000,000 damages. Intellectual property law continues to win judgments against individuals and companies that infringed on their customers' designs, but theseAction continues to be a tough fight without an increase in law enforcement.
Many companies have teamed up to assist law enforcement and the protection of consumers against knock-offs. Remarkably, with the greatest professional sports leagues and formed Collegiate Athletic authorities of the Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports Logos, or CAPS, www.capsinfo.com. This informative site has links to NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA and other leagues sites "where you will find detailed information on spottingForgeries. These leagues have gone the extra step by the standardization of their anti-counterfeiting measures for unique holograms of the respective brands, the licensed products are installed. The major software vendors and trade organizations have also fight coalitions to its huge problem of piracy, among them are the Business Software Alliance, the Software & Information Industry Association, the Motion Picture Association and the Recording Industry Association, only a nameto name a few. Each of these organizations provides comprehensive online information to protect consumers against counterfeits.
Perhaps out of ignorance, many people, even those who can afford to buy the genuine ones to decide buying fakes. A person buying a look-alike purse can make a difference, then you may think. Think again. Although the sweatshops, money-laundering operations, underground drug labs and training camps for terrorists are oceans away from the street merchants from Georgetown,Lower Manhattan, Boston or LA, there is complicity.
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