Tara Reed Designs Blog » fake purses http://tarareeddesignsblog.com Fun and Sassy Art! Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Devil Wears Prada – it’s probably fake and involved in human trafficking http://tarareeddesignsblog.com/2010/02/09/the-devil-wears-prada-its-probably-fake-and-involved-in-human-trafficking/ http://tarareeddesignsblog.com/2010/02/09/the-devil-wears-prada-its-probably-fake-and-involved-in-human-trafficking/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:20:51 +0000 Tara Reed http://tarareeddesignsblog.com/?p=545 My friend and colleague, attorney Cheryl Hodgson, graciously let me post her blog about how human trafficking is involved in many of the knock-off products that can be found on many city street corners, at outdoor markets and more.  This is a huge issue that many are not aware of. I encourage you to read [...]]]> My friend and colleague, attorney Cheryl Hodgson, graciously let me post her blog about how human trafficking is involved in many of the knock-off products that can be found on many city street corners, at outdoor markets and more.  This is a huge issue that many are not aware of. I encourage you to read this and let others know about the information.

Thank you!  – Tara Reed

On January 11, 2010, National Human Trafficking Awareness Month was launched across the U.S.   Human Trafficking involves all sort of horrible mistreatment of children, some abuses too difficult to even speak of, much less imagine.  Did you ever wonder who makes those “cheap” Gucci knockoffs?  Those DKNY items on street corners?  Many of them may well have involved child labor, some of them akin to slavery.

During a recent chat with a friend deeply involved in raising awareness of Human Trafficking through www.intent.com, I offered to share how Intellectual Property theft is tied to the human trafficking by sophisticated criminals.  My goal is that this piece forever serves as reminder to those of us who have been tempted by those inexpensive, counterfeit luxury hand bags or watchs.  We are all aware of the issue, but until more informed, tend to think in terms of the big brand owner who is upset about loss of rights and profits.  “So what’s the big deal?”  Read this, and I hope you will think again before you buy.

I am an Intellectual Property attorney who has worked passionately in the field of trademarks and copyrights for many years.  Even I was completely sobered and sickened by a story I heard at U.S. Trademark Office program here in Santa Monica a few years back.  An American attorney based in Thailand spoke of his law firm’s involvement in verifying fake goods seized by Thai custom officials. This type of cooperation is a rather recent side cooperative effort, resulting more from terrorist concerns since 09-11 than a real concern about protecting luxury goods trademark owners.   Discovery of the fake goods is a rather random event, since custom officials are routine bribed to “look the other way.”

Imagine a horrible unsafe, unsanitary warehouse containing $20 million in state of the art cigarette manufacturing equipment used to make fake cigarettes.  Imagine criminals who have recruited unsuspecting youngsters to travel from China and beyond to “job fairs” seeking a better life.  The innocent girls are sold into sexual slavery, and young men are chained to machines like the one in the cigarette plant, forced to do the work of criminal enterprise.  In this case, a raid of the plant found the owners long gone, tipped off in advance by custom officials in Bangkok.  All that remained were the young male teenagers, chained to the machines to which they were slaves.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article…

Cheryl Hodgson presently serves as a member of the Emerging Issues Committee of the International Trademark Association, and Past President of the California Copyright conference. She practices law in Santa Monica, CA and Cheryl can be reached at www.hodgson-law.com.  Cheryl posts regularly at the BRANDAIDE Blog. www.brandaideblog.com

]]> http://tarareeddesignsblog.com/2010/02/09/the-devil-wears-prada-its-probably-fake-and-involved-in-human-trafficking/feed/ 1