China: The Land Where Fake Brands Reign Supreme

Shamelessly, China has dubbed itself as “the king of counterfeiters” and the city of Nanjing, east of Shanghai, prides itself on the imminent grand opening of a new shopping centre dedicated to some 58 fake brands of merchandise. These imposters bear strong resemblances to their original inspirations, but are often differentiated by an intentionally mis-spelled letter or two.

Counterfeit goods have been the bane of the world trade industry for decades, and China, while a blatant culprit, is far from the only one. The dynamics of the infringement varies from breaches of product patents in industrial and technical products to illegal reproductions of copyright entertainment material to fake luxury brands.