Why is counterfeiting a criminal offence?
First of all counterfeiting clearly violates trademark and copyrights laws and infringes upon Intellectual Property rights. Furthermore, most companies invest many resources into protecting their brands and ensuring their products are of the highest quality. The sale of counterfeit products prevents the consumer from obtaining the benefit of the brand and the quality associated with the brand. In addition, counterfeit products are often dangerous because they may not contain safety measures that are incorporated within the genuine product nor meet the technical standards required by law. In order to protect their brand and the innovation of their products, companies take legal measures such as trademark, design and patent registration of their logos, products and technology. Mostly, for original manufacturer the legal basis for addressing counterfeiting is infringement of their registered trademarks, designs and patents.
