With the holiday season approaching, consumers in Australia and around the world are turning to online retailers to fill their shopping baskets. However, organisations such as the International Trademark Association (INTA) are warning consumers of the proliferation of counterfeit products available for sale on the Internet.
The popularity of online shopping, especially in the lead up to Christmas, has surged recently with consumers increasingly choosing to avoid crowded “brick and mortar” stores and to search online for the best available price. However, the reality is that counterfeiters have also moved into the online arena. INTA estimates that in 2010 fake websites selling counterfeit goods were receiving more than 53 million visits per year; a number that continues to increase.
Counterfeiting is also no longer (if it ever was) just an issue involving a few fake T-shirts or knockoff wrist watches. For example, counterfeit medicines and pharmaceuticals are being sold which may not comply with applicable regulatory health and quality standards and may even contain dangerous ingredients. Would you be able to spot the difference between real and fake medicine? What about cosmetics, or consumer products like toothpaste, washing powder or hair dye, or even automotive products like brake pads for performance vehicles?
One of the dangers of shopping online is that it isn’t normally possible to inspect the goods before purchase. This enables online counterfeiters to make their websites appear legitimate. They can, for example, post pictures of genuine products on their sites but then sending you a cheaply made counterfeit instead. The online environment can also enable counterfeiters to hide their identity. The lesson from all this: when shopping online, always shop at reputable retailers.