money from the brand and governments and lies to other people and some-
times even to themselves. Contrary to popular belief, when consumers buy
counterfeit goods, they are indirectly funding crime as most counterfeiters
belong to organized criminal groups that are also involved in other perceived
‘more serious’ crimes such as drug trafficking and prostitution. Also buying
fake luxury goods does not increase employment opportunities in poor coun-
tries. On the contrary, it creates misery and hardship for the people forced to
take part in these criminal activities and exposes them to the risk of being
caught and penalized. Luxury goods counterfeiting is theft of intellectual
property and the creativity of others. To illustrate this point, let’s use a piece
of literary work produced by a writer after months of tenacious writing and
editing that results in the creation of a masterpiece. After finally getting it
published criminals steal the script and begin to illegally reprint it to sell for
$1. If you think this is unacceptable, then luxury goods counterfeiting is ten
times more unacceptable. Another way to look at the theft of creativity and
intellectual property (to which luxury goods belong) is through the work that
went into this book, which you have in your hands which included years of
extensive research, writing, editing and finally publication. It involved count-
less hours behind the computer screen, endless days spent at libraries in
different cities, constant travel, interviews, exchanges and continuous full-
time work in the luxury goods sector. Some nights I had to forgo sleeping in
order to meet deadlines. Now, after going through all these relentless efforts
to get the book published and available in the market, would it be a source of
pleasure to discover that a vendor somewhere has reproduced it and is selling
it at a fraction of its price to enrich himself? This case is similar to the sale of
fake luxury goods.
Think-point for consumers: If you condemn drug trafficking, prostitution or the
sale of fake prescription drugs but you turn around and purchase fake luxury
goods, you are no better than the people who engage in the activities you condemn.Several luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton are visibly working hard to
contain counterfeiting. As one of the most copied luxury brands in the world
and a favourite for consumers of fake luxury goods, the company has shown
a firm commitment to the battle against counterfeiting. Louis Vuitton spends
approximately €10–15 million a year on the battle against fake products. A
part of this budget is channelled towards lobbyists, who try to persuade differ-
ent governments to protect brand rights. A team of counterfeiting and intel-
lectual property specialists has also been established at the Louis Vuitton
offices in Paris and abroad, to counter this menace. The company also
employs agents who scour the world in search of counterfeiters’ factories and
export operations, which are then reported to local authorities. Louis Vuitton
has also joined forces with various French and international professional
associations to educate consumers and raise awareness of the risks inherent in
chapter 5 175the art of creating and managing luxury fashion brands