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Law Against Buying Fake Handbags Gets Another Push
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 7, 2013
Modified Apr 7, 2013
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 7, 2013
Modified Apr 7, 2013
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Following their recent closeup in the New York Times Magazine, Councilmember Margaret Chin is again pushing for a law against buying counterfeit handbags that have traditionally been a magnet for tourists along Canal Street. “People think it’s an adventure,” Chin told the Post. “It’s always illegal for people to sell, but it’s not illegal for the people who buy this stuff. Hopefully, this law will cut down on the demand.”
Chin's legislation, which has been stalled since 2011, would make purchasing counterfeit handbags a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. “People are worried that some innocent middle-aged woman might unwittingly purchase a [counterfeit] bag,” Chin said. “If you go into a back room, basement or van, you probably know what you’re doing is not legal.”
While there have been many "crackdowns" on Canal Street and photo-ops with public officials displaying confiscated knock-off goods, demand is still high, and many low-level sellers who are charged with distributing counterfeit goods are given a misdemeanor and set free.
Author Dana Thomas says the working conditions and low pay ($60 a month) of the factories that crank out the counterfeit goods (Customs says they seized $348 million in forgeries last year in New York) make buying fakes far from a victimless crime—not to say that bonafide luxury brands are uniformly scrupulous either.
“The counterfeit industry is very similar to the drug trade. It’s something that’s illegal, smuggled into the country and sold at an enormous profit," she notes.
Recently, Chin has gone after another downtown curbside staple: food trucks that block fire hydrants.
Tagged
canal street
Chinatown
fake handbags
margaret chin
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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