Reader 213
on selling replicas
Hi there FT,
I hope you could point out to the sellers that there's a difference between licensed and illegal replicas, and to remind them to check and obtain proof of licensing from their suppliers.
Licensed replicas are those which the copyright owner has given the permission for a company to reproduce, and while there are many companies who allow that (e.g. FIFA reproducing the World Cup trophy) most, if not all, designer goods companies will not allow it.
Hence, if that's the case, those replicas are illegal, a.k.a counterfeit goods, and it's illegal to sell them in Malaysia and in most other countries as well. There might be a loophole for online sellers, but remember that your transactions are still done in Malaysia through Malaysian banks/postal service/on Malaysian soil (CODs).
If you're now thinking of shops which openly sell illegal goods, well, I'll just say that corruption and bribery is sadly starting to be a norm in Malaysia.
To buyers, if you really love designer goods, buy the real thing and credit the designers whom you love. Don't insult them by buying fakes.
From my POV, electronicfly
P/S: If they're any lawyers/law students/gov. officers able to confirm/deny this, do speak out. Everything typed in this letter is from a layperson's POV after researching on the Internet.
Agreed! It's disheartening how blatant the selling and buying of replicas in Malaysia is. People who pay hundreds for supposed grade AAA replicas are rather amusing - that amount of money could be spent on quality bags by mid-range brands (Guess, Nine West, even homegrown labels like Bonia), but they'd rather shell out money for rip-offs that true fashion connoisseurs will be able to discern and snigger at anyway (thus defeating the purpose of faking affluence through fashion).
More importantly, a lot of people who purchase replicas do so in ignorance of the conditions these items are produced in - sweatshops where people are treated like slaves and some even use child labour. Profits from the counterfeit industry have been linked to organised crime - sometimes earnings from counterfeit products is even used to fund terrorism!
For those of you thinking "So what, it's just copyright being violated and the only ones being hurt are those big fat designer companies", read these links:
http://cbs11tv.com/consumer/Counterfeit.Designer.Handbags.2.496217.html
http://www.wisn.com/news/2191330/detail.html
http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/01/ltm.17.html
Next time you're thinking of buying counterfeit designer goods, think long and hard about whether you can do so knowing you might be supporting horrific labour conditions, exploitation of children, organised crime and terrorism. Is the vanity of carrying that tacky fake bag really worth it?
Blogshops which sell replicas that have read this - if you were previously in ignorance of what these counterfeit items represent, I hope you'll reconsider what you've been doing now that you know better. Personally, buying from blogshops that knowingly profit off human suffering and crime is a no-no - I can only hope some readers feel the same way.
i agree. did you know that SOME counterfeits/replicas of designer bags are made through child labour/forced labour. thus i personally do not support buying fake designer/branded items.
i'd rather buy something that does not have a brand than one which is replicated.
although fake goods are cheaper and they 'look like the real thing', truth is they're not.
those of whom using fakes (esp obvious ones) are always seen as fakers who wanna look rich, becos u can always tell the diff between replicas and genuine items.
my persoanl pov as well. =)
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