New Use for Knock-Offs: Helping Haiti

Brandchannel has reported extensively about counterfeit or knock-off products. This month alone, more than $240 million worth of fake goods were confiscated in the U.S., including more than $18 million worth of faux designer sunglasses.

This is a chronic problem that only seems to get worse in a global economy, especially for designer and luxury brands. Counterfeit goods made to look like the real thing are sold for a fraction of the price of the originals, creating a huge black market and devaluing brands.

So we have to applaud the state of New York for a creative solution. Instead of destroying $10 million worth of confiscated clothing and shoes with fake labels, the district attorney's office in Brooklyn, New York came up with a novel idea: Send the goods to Haiti.Continue reading...