IMITATION V. INNOVATION: COUNTERFEITING AND THE LAW IN INDIA
INTRODUCTION Imagine your creation being copied into a fake knock-off and sold under your name without your consent. This fraudulent imitation of goods is counterfeiting. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) defines counterfeiting as a crime, involving the manufacturing and distribution of goods under someone else’s name, and without their permission . It is generally an imitation of a genuine item and closely resembles the original in order to deceive consumers into believing it to be authentic. In terms of its practice in India, counterfeiting is spread across numerous sectors from fashion, textiles, and cosmetics. Counterfeited products enter the market through broader channels and are then circulated through domestic markets, retail shops and e-commerce platforms. Due to the large population of the country and lack of regulation in the supply chain management and domestic markets, there is a lack of legal accountability, causing numerous owners of auth...
