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'Copycat' websites drive rise in fake products
Page last updated at 05:17 GMT, Friday, 17 September 2010 06:17 UK
BBC - Newsbeat - 'Copycat' websites drive rise in fake products
E-mail this to a friend [an error occurred while processing this directive] By Jim Reed and Natalie Ostroff
Newsbeat reporters
See some of the fake goods that have been seized
Trading Standards officers have reported a sharp rise in the number of copycat websites selling fake branded goods over the internet.
Bogus sites pass themselves off as the real thing with an almost identical design and a similar internet address.
"The number has just increased and increased," said Handley Brustad, lead officer, intellectual property at the Trading Standards Institute.
"They feed off the real brands and mirror the genuine site to pull you in."
Trading Standards now wants search engines like Google to do more to identify sites that sell counterfeit goods and remove them from their paid search results.
Luxury to everyday
Shipments of fake goods seized by the UK Border Agency rose sharply last year to the second highest level ever.
A total of 3,707,940 products were stopped from entering the country, up from just 857,772 in 2000.
But the type of goods seized at the border is changing.
A decade ago fakes were mainly a problem for the luxury industry with copies of top-of-the-range handbags and designer watches all the rage.
Now counterfeiters are targeting more everyday products such as clothing, shampoo, make-up and electrical goods.
Emily talks about buying fake straighteners
Often these products are sold online at a price just below the genuine item to make customers think they are getting a bargain, rather than an obvious fake.
Twenty-two-year-old Emily from Bangor in North Wales bought what she thought was a genuine pair of brand name hair straighteners over the internet.
"I had seen the real product before and this was nothing like it," she said.
"As soon as I a started using them I realised they were fake."
Tips for spotting 'fake' websites
The website selling the straighteners used the same colour scheme, logos and description as the official branded site.
"It looked like it was a genuine retailer", said Emily.
"The only thing that was different was the price of the products - it was only £20 off, so I fell for it."
Continue reading the main story The only thing that was different was the price... it was only £20 off, so I fell for it
Emily
Overall the number of complaints about the sale of fake goods is rising even faster than seized shipments.
The advice service Consumer Direct said it took 2801 calls relating to counterfeits in the 12 months to August 2010, up from 1958 a year earlier.
The most complained about products were footwear followed by toiletries, clothing and CDs, DVDs and video games.
Handley Brustad at Trading Standards said: "Anything that you can sell, you can now copy.
"As trade has moved from the physical market of the high street to the virtual highway of the internet then these problems have just increased and increased."
Fire risk
Fake electrical goods like hair straighteners, phones and chargers are a particular concern, he added, because they can easily overheat and burn or catch fire.
The maker of UGG boots has sent legal notices to more than 3000 sites Well known brands like GHD and UGG have been working with trading standards and customs officers to try to crack down on the problem.
In the last month alone, the US company Deckers, which owns the UGG boots brand, has sent out "take down" letters to more than 3,000 websites which it believes are breaking copyright law.
But as soon as one fake website is removed another quickly takes it's place.
"The internet is difficult to control and it's a constant battle," said Alistair Campbell, the brand manager of UGG in the UK.
"As soon as we are successful in taking down some counterfeit websites, there are others that pop up and we begin the whole procedure again."
Search engine 'responsibility'
Trading Standards officers and copyright holders are now both calling for internet search engines to do more to identify and remove links to the copycat websites selling fake goods.
Search providers have a duty to help stop fake sites says Trading Standards Bogus sites often pay to appear highlighted in the sponsored section at the top of the results page on sites like Google and Bing.
If a customer types a well-known brand name into the search box then they can easily be tricked into clicking on the fake site instead.
"All search engines have a responsibility," said Handley Brustad at Trading Standards.
In pictures: Counterfeit goods
"As an industry, they must take steps to make sure these sites don't get there."
Google said it officially bans companies that sell counterfeit products from buying advertising space on its site, although it accepts a small number of online advertisers will always try to get around the rules.
"Search engines, brand owners, consumer groups and Trading Standards need to work closely together to tackle this issue," said Google's communications manager Ben Novick.
"It is important to strike a balance between the freedom of the internet, which lets advertisers of all sizes quickly upload legitimate ads which benefit users, and the need to protect consumers from a small proportion of online advertisers who are trying to flout search engine policies."
Page last updated at 05:17 GMT, Friday, 17 September 2010 06:17 UK
BBC - Newsbeat - 'Copycat' websites drive rise in fake products
E-mail this to a friend [an error occurred while processing this directive] By Jim Reed and Natalie Ostroff
Newsbeat reporters
See some of the fake goods that have been seized
Trading Standards officers have reported a sharp rise in the number of copycat websites selling fake branded goods over the internet.
Bogus sites pass themselves off as the real thing with an almost identical design and a similar internet address.
"The number has just increased and increased," said Handley Brustad, lead officer, intellectual property at the Trading Standards Institute.
"They feed off the real brands and mirror the genuine site to pull you in."
Trading Standards now wants search engines like Google to do more to identify sites that sell counterfeit goods and remove them from their paid search results.
Luxury to everyday
Shipments of fake goods seized by the UK Border Agency rose sharply last year to the second highest level ever.
A total of 3,707,940 products were stopped from entering the country, up from just 857,772 in 2000.
But the type of goods seized at the border is changing.
A decade ago fakes were mainly a problem for the luxury industry with copies of top-of-the-range handbags and designer watches all the rage.
Now counterfeiters are targeting more everyday products such as clothing, shampoo, make-up and electrical goods.
Emily talks about buying fake straighteners
Often these products are sold online at a price just below the genuine item to make customers think they are getting a bargain, rather than an obvious fake.
Twenty-two-year-old Emily from Bangor in North Wales bought what she thought was a genuine pair of brand name hair straighteners over the internet.
"I had seen the real product before and this was nothing like it," she said.
"As soon as I a started using them I realised they were fake."
Tips for spotting 'fake' websites
The website selling the straighteners used the same colour scheme, logos and description as the official branded site.
"It looked like it was a genuine retailer", said Emily.
"The only thing that was different was the price of the products - it was only £20 off, so I fell for it."
Continue reading the main story The only thing that was different was the price... it was only £20 off, so I fell for it
Emily
Overall the number of complaints about the sale of fake goods is rising even faster than seized shipments.
The advice service Consumer Direct said it took 2801 calls relating to counterfeits in the 12 months to August 2010, up from 1958 a year earlier.
The most complained about products were footwear followed by toiletries, clothing and CDs, DVDs and video games.
Handley Brustad at Trading Standards said: "Anything that you can sell, you can now copy.
"As trade has moved from the physical market of the high street to the virtual highway of the internet then these problems have just increased and increased."
Fire risk
Fake electrical goods like hair straighteners, phones and chargers are a particular concern, he added, because they can easily overheat and burn or catch fire.
The maker of UGG boots has sent legal notices to more than 3000 sites Well known brands like GHD and UGG have been working with trading standards and customs officers to try to crack down on the problem.
In the last month alone, the US company Deckers, which owns the UGG boots brand, has sent out "take down" letters to more than 3,000 websites which it believes are breaking copyright law.
But as soon as one fake website is removed another quickly takes it's place.
"The internet is difficult to control and it's a constant battle," said Alistair Campbell, the brand manager of UGG in the UK.
"As soon as we are successful in taking down some counterfeit websites, there are others that pop up and we begin the whole procedure again."
Search engine 'responsibility'
Trading Standards officers and copyright holders are now both calling for internet search engines to do more to identify and remove links to the copycat websites selling fake goods.
Search providers have a duty to help stop fake sites says Trading Standards Bogus sites often pay to appear highlighted in the sponsored section at the top of the results page on sites like Google and Bing.
If a customer types a well-known brand name into the search box then they can easily be tricked into clicking on the fake site instead.
"All search engines have a responsibility," said Handley Brustad at Trading Standards.
In pictures: Counterfeit goods
"As an industry, they must take steps to make sure these sites don't get there."
Google said it officially bans companies that sell counterfeit products from buying advertising space on its site, although it accepts a small number of online advertisers will always try to get around the rules.
"Search engines, brand owners, consumer groups and Trading Standards need to work closely together to tackle this issue," said Google's communications manager Ben Novick.
"It is important to strike a balance between the freedom of the internet, which lets advertisers of all sizes quickly upload legitimate ads which benefit users, and the need to protect consumers from a small proportion of online advertisers who are trying to flout search engine policies."
