Is The Toronto Stars Special Section On Counterfeiting An Advertorial Or Real News Reporting?
Recent reports from both the GAO and the OECD have both suggested that claims about the cost of “counterfeit” goods to industries are highly exaggerated. The actual research suggested that it was a much, much smaller problem than the numbers that were often bandied about by lobbyists trying to create stricter laws. And, unfortunately, since those numbers are the only ones around, they’re often used as fact even when they have no support. Michael Geist, who has written about this issue numerous times — including in the Toronto Star newspaper, seems a little surprised to find out that the Toronto Star now has an entire special section on what a big problem counterfeiting is. The section doesn’t seem to include a single opposing viewpoint, and the whole thing is sponsored by an anti-counterfeiting lobbying group in Canada. The articles in the section appear to be written by Toronto Star staff reporters, but it sure looks like an advertorial. This isn’t to deny that counterfeiting isn’t a
