NYC proposing law to punish buyers of counterfeit goods

Well I think this is just ridiculous.. lawmakers in new York are proposing a law that that would make it a crime for people to buy counterfeit merchandise from vendors.. Punishable by 1000$ fine and up to a year in prison..

City Council member Margaret Chin of Lower Manhattan who proposed the bill actually said

Since sellers usually flee from police as they go to confiscate their goods, she hopes targeting customers would be a more efficient answer to the counterfeit problem

In other words we can't catch the real criminals so we are gonna arrest you if you buy that purse or jersey, or pair of sunglasses

A lot of people don't know and don't care if they are buying a knockoff, they just see something they like and buy it..
Where the hell is the crime in that?

10 years ago I woulda said no way this law passes , but now I think it probably will
pix11.com...

Legislators are looking into a bill that would condemn–and heavily discourage–customers from purchasing counterfeit products from street vendors, according to an AP report.

eta
10 years from now police will probably be setting up flea market stores and street vendors booths and selling counterfeit goods just to arrest us for buying them.

They can go online and buy the same stuff the street vendor has.(legal imitations). If the street vendor has a business license to sell trinkets then all is good. They cant bust you unless they think you bought [illegal knock offs] from an illegal vendor. But.. how to prove that.. only thing I can see is if they catch you in the transaction.

There is a difference between legal imitations and illegal knock offs.

Well in all likelihood they're using counterfeit Fed money to buy the stuff in the first place so I don't see what the big deal is. Apparently the purchase of counterfeit goods is only bad when the state isn't the one doing it.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


I heard they raided a flea market in St Louis and actually confiscated stuff from people that had already paid

Originally posted by goou111
reply to post by JohnPhoenix

 

I heard they raided a flea market in St Louis and actually confiscated stuff from people that had already paid

I suppose they can do it if it's easily proven the product is an illegal knockoff.. To my way of thinking thats kinda like knowingly receiving stolen goods.

reply to post by goou111

and the sellers who "flee" from police aren't caught why? doughnuts. can't blame it on big gulps anymore, perhaps a doughnut ban for police is needed.

this is simply ludicrous. they seek to punish people for not buying from the "state-sponsored" (read "taxed") vendors.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix

I suppose they can do it if it's easily proven the product is an illegal knockoff.. To my way of thinking thats kinda like knowingly receiving stolen goods.

How is the consumer suppose to know it's a knockoff? It takes a trained eye to spot a good knockoff..

It is actually punishable by jail time and/or fine to purchase something stolen. Even if you didn't know was stolen. Pretty much the same thing. Counterfeit is stealing a company identity if you think about it and your are buy that. Law has been in place over twenty years in Louisiana so no real big uproar for me. That's why you go to the real Nike store. If you want to buy a pair for 100 and find a pair for 20. You know which is fake. Go to real store not street vendors. How many companies do you see dropping off product at road side vendors?

Wait a minute. So I'm walking through Central Park and stop to buy a cell phone case. The police see me do it and fine me? And they do this because they can't catch the guy who I just bought it from 2 minutes ago? How does that work?

reply to post by Dianec


Depends if he has a lic to sell that brand. This law isn't new. Atleast not here. I buy things from street vendors all the time and have yet to be ticketed.

I think most people generally know when they are buying a fake. If you're getting Oakleys for 20 bucks almost anyone would know they are fake or stolen. But that's the problem. Proving intent. Say you have some elderly woman that just wants a pair of sunglasses and doesn't recognize the name? Say you're a gullible idiot and you believe the vendor actually did buy too many and has to unload these dirt cheap to try and recoup some loss? What would be the difference here and buying a TV from a reputable company like Best Buy that was somehow duped into selling counterfeits? My TV looks like a Samsung, works like a Samsung and came with all the nonsense and packaging I would expect. If it were found to be fake should I have to face fines and jail time?

I'm OK with having the item confiscated (I would hope the courts would seize the sellers assets and first attempt to reimburse the buyers). I'm not OK with fines or jail time. I have a question here... Is there some reason that even tiny offenses seem to have a maximum of 1 year in jail? It just seems like the default law for everything, in every state. In this case it really bothers me. I got popped for drinking and driving and really think that offense should be deemed more serious than buying counterfeit merchandise. What I did put peoples lives in danger, a far cry from threatening some companies profit margin.

This slope is steep and slippery.

I find it funny how these cities think that if they continue
down this path they will somehow remain relevant to
the rest of the U.S. California is learning that one the
hard way, so are many of the, we gotta control everything!
cities, if people get tired of their lives being dictated then
they will simply leave, these cities will be left only with those
too broke to leave and people that broke don't make a
great tax bracket.

You know, more and more im growing to love my town,
big enough to have anything i desire, small enough to
not be in my business all the time, cops stop you for
a conversation about local events, not to frisk you for no reason,
traffic is a non issue and leisure is actually enjoyable.

reply to post by Domo1


1 year jail time sentences are generally the maximum. When you go to court the judge will most likely just give you a fine. You usually don't see jail time for things like this unless you have a rap sheep a mile long with similar offenses.

For the record I don't support this law in the least. It is just another way the city can make money off of their citizens. That is all fines are, streams of revenue for the city.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
They can go online and buy the same stuff the street vendor has.(legal imitations). If the street vendor has a business license to sell trinkets then all is good. They cant bust you unless they think you bought [illegal knock offs] from an illegal vendor. But.. how to prove that.. only thing I can see is if they catch you in the transaction.

There is a difference between legal imitations and illegal knock offs.

edit on 17-6-2013 by JohnPhoenix because: sp

In other words..TAXES They're hurting for revenue so thus this stupid move though its a freakin joke IMO

This means if you go into your local auto parts store and buy parts you might get arrested
www.nj.com...

Or if you buy second hand items at a thrift store. ( goodwill, salvation army,)
www.avvo.com...

The cops don't care if you knew or not they are just in it for the number of convictions they can rack up.

reply to post by ANNED


Imagine if you owned a 3D printer the amount of fines you'd get to pay.

Originally posted by goou111
reply to post by JohnPhoenix

 

I suppose they can do it if it's easily proven the product is an illegal knockoff.. To my way of thinking thats kinda like knowingly receiving stolen goods.

How is the consumer suppose to know it's a knockoff? It takes a trained eye to spot a good knockoff..

Many popular products have authorized sellers. If you are buying a Rolex or Gucci from a street vendor it's a sure bet it's a knockoff. They don't license to street vendors.

Counterfeit sports merchandising is a criminal industry that nets billions a year worldwide. This year, there will be even more, with the world's focus on the London Olympics. British specialists have already made countless arrests for attempting to move phony souvenirs. And they are warning vacationers coming to see the games to be careful about what they purchase.

I guess you all should look at the DHS. They have been going around busting retailers of counterfeit goods. Retailers can also buy stuff at discount and get it cheaper not knowing its bogus. Who doesn't get punished? The counterfeiters.

9/11 happened... who got punished? Americans. Who got rewarded? the perpetrators.

Illegal Immigration happened... Who got punished? Americans.. Who got rewarded? Illegals.

So give credit where credit is due.

The DHS is counterfeit. They are the counterfeiters.

originally posted by: marycoll
Counterfeit sports merchandising is a criminal industry that nets billions a year worldwide. This year, there will be even more, with the world's focus on the London Olympics. British specialists have already made countless arrests for attempting to move phony souvenirs. And they are warning vacationers coming to see the games to be careful about what they purchase.

They have been going around busting retailers of counterfeit goods. Retailers can also buy stuff at discount and get it cheaper not knowing its bogus.