A Chinatown store employee in New York City has been charged with two counts of copyright infringement in the third degree after attempting to sell cardboard versions of designer handbags.
Wing Sun Mak reportedly attempted to sell three cardboard purses with Burberry logos, and one with a Louis Vuitton insignia. He is an employee at Fook on Sing Funeral Supplies, a store that sells paper, cardboard and plastic objects for the deceased, known as joss. According to Chinese custom the joss is burned as a tribute to the dead, who then receive the items in the afterlife. Replica designer handbags aren’t the only goodies on offer; the store also sells cardboard mansions, cardboard flat screen TVs, and cardboard sports cars!
Mak plans to fight the charges, and surprisingly he has the support of one of New York’s strongest opponents to counterfeiting, Councilwoman Margaret Chin. She said she expected the police to be more culturally sensitive to this practice which has been around for hundreds of years.
Honestly I think this case is indicative of the way that copyright law has gone crazy. The initial intent of these laws was to protect companies who may suffer lost sales and consumers who may be duped by counterfeiters. But is anyone really losing out here? I can’t imagine any company suffering lost revenue because a few cardboard alternatives were sold, and any person with half a brain isn’t going to buy a cardboard Burberry believing it’s the real deal. I also can’t imagine anyone ever burying an authentic Louis Vuitton bag because they couldn’t find a cardboard one!
What do you think about this latest copyright infringement case?
[Image Source: Hans Bernhard/Wikipedia Commons]
