Monthly Archives: November 2018

COUNTERFEIT TOYS ON THE RISE

Toy Association Letter to Senate Finance Committee on Protecting E-Commerce Consumers fr

Many of the fakes are available on the Internet. In July 2017, The U.S. Toy Industry Association sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee in response to a Committee Hearing in March related to protecting e-commerce consumers from fake toys. The industry group’s IP Protection Committee works closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)—as well as representatives from Alibaba and Amazon to explore solutions to the problem.

ToyFair 2018 held in England showed a decrease in toy sales of nearly 3% for 2017caused in large part by counterfeits. According the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), the counterfeit toys came primarily from China and the volume was so great that Trading Standards seized tens of thousands of toys every month.

3.5 million fake toys were seized by EU Customs officials in 2017. The retail value amounted to over 21 million euros. Toys represented 11% of counterfeit goods detained at EU borders in 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAGGLING IN BEIJING’s SILK MARKET VIDEO GOES VIRAL

Haggling in Beijing’s Silk Market, a notorious location for counterfeits goods, is a culture shock for Westerners who may be more familiar with buying fakes on Canal Street in New York City’s Chinatown. This YouTube video showing a Westerner haggling with a saleswoman at Beijing’s Silk Market has about 18 million viewers to date and may be prompted by the on-going trade war between China and the United States.