The counterfeiting of luxury goods is a huge business in France, one that costs the country about $7.5 billion each year. That’s a LOT of money to lose out on, and France is not taking it lying down.
Comite Colbert – a luxury good association – has teamed up with the CNAC or the French National Anti-Counterfeiting Committee and French Customs to produce seven adverts whose sole aim is to prevent people from buying and using counterfeit goods. Every ad features something from some of the biggest luxury houses in the world like Dior or Cartier, all of which gladly participated in the campaign. The ads are all accompanied by slogans that read something like “Buy a counterfeit Dior or Louis Vuitton, get a genuine criminal record for free.” Funny, no?
The ads also let folks know that the punishment for buying or even just carrying around counterfeit luxury goods in France is three years in prison plus a whopping fine of over $ 373,000. That’s a little over the top, don’t you think? In the US, only those who sell counterfeit goods can be brought to justice, buyers are never punished.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, the posters featuring these adverts will show up in 18 French airports from June onwards.