You may want to think twice before indulging in one of those cheap Louis Vuitton “replicas” or Chanel knock-offs from the Canal Street markets. Margaret Chin, the councilwoman for the Chinatown district, is proposing a bill which would punish anyone indulging in imitation designer accessories.
Chin will introduce a bill tomorrow which would see offenders facing $1000 fines or up to a year in prison. With penalties like that you’d be better indulging in the real thing!
Which is, of course, precisely the point. Chin says she doesn’t want her area known as the place to find counterfeit goods. But while it has such a reputation, the industry is growing. The only way to stem it is to stop the demand, and these harsh penalties sound like a smart way to do it.
Chin already has five co-sponsors for the bill, so it seems likely to pass. However there’s sure to be problems in policing it. Shoppers will need to be caught in the act of purchasing the goods to be charged, and surely New York cops have better things to do with their time.
This sounds like a really small time problem to me, although I’m sure the luxury handbag companies would disagree. What do you think of Margaret Chin’s proposal?
[Image Source: Wilrocka/Flickr]
