with counterfeiters is because they are money-spinning brands with wide appeal, easily reproduced and sold in the Indian market. The problem is manifest across all product categories throughout the country - medicines, FMCG products, cosmetics, foodstuffs, aerated soft drinks, liquor, watches, clothes and even currency . Consumers are often unaware that they buy products that reseFrom cigarettes to fashion accessories to food products to medicines, more than 50% of the global market are filled with counterfeited products. Do you realise that the Nike t-shirt that you are probably wearing right now may not even exist in the design portfolio of Nike Inc. It may have been produced by a small time designer who sits in the busy lanes of New Delhi in India and charges less than $1 to give you the swoosh in any colour, any form and any design as requested! A true form of ‘customisation’.

Counterfeit branding in one way is the smartest way of doing business in the 21st century. Think about it. Large global corporations spend millions of dollars developing a brand and once the brand becomes popular, millions of businessmen on the other side of the world start thinking about the strategy to increase their product lines! In other words, people running the counterfeit market seem much more smarter than an investment banker. They do their business at the cost of large corporations.

Only in India, the “fakes” market is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion and it’s growing by nearly 20% every year. With the weak execution of Intellectual Property Rights and the growing corruption, there is no doubt that very soon one may find himself driving a counterfeited car! If you think it won't happen to you, think again. There are nearly 128 ‘known versions’ of Parachute Hair Oil, 113 of Fair & Lovely cream, 44 of Vicks VapoRub, and 38 of Clinic Plus Shampoo. The reasons they are so popular with counterfeiters is because they are money-spinning brands with wide appeal, easily reproduced and sold in the Indian market. The problem is manifest across all product categories throughout the country - medicines, FMCG products, cosmetics, foodstuffs, aerated soft drinks, liquor, watches, clothes and even currency . Consumers are often unaware that they buy products that resem

harges less than $1 to give you the swoosh in any colour, any form and any design as requested! A true form of ‘customisation’.

Counterfeit branding in one way is the smartest way of doing business in the 21st century. Think about it. Large global corporations spend millions of dollars developing a brand and once the brand becomes popular, millions of businessmen on the other side of the world start thinking about the strategy to increase their product lines! In other words, people running the counterfeit market seem much more smarter than an investment banker. They do their business at the cost of large corporations.

Only in India, the “fakes” market is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion and it’s growing by nearly 20% every year. With the weak execution of Intellectual Property Rights and the growing corruption, there is no doubt that very soon one may find himself driving a counterfeited car! If you think it won't happen to you, think again. There are nearly 128 ‘known versions’ of Parachute Hair Oil, 113 of Fair & Lovely cream, 44 of Vicks VapoRub, and 38 of Clinic Plus Shampoo. The reasons they are so popular with counterfeiters is because they are money-spinning brands with wide appeal, easily reproduced and sold in the Indian market. The problem is manifest across all product categories throughout the country - medicines, FMCG products, cosmetics, foodstuffs, aerated soft drinks, liquor, watches, clothes and even currency . Consumers are often unaware that they buy products that rese

side of the world start thinking about the strategy to increase their product lines! In other words, people running the counterfeit market seem much more smarter than an investment banker. They do their business at the cost of large corporations.

Only in India, the “fakes” market is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion and it’s growing by nearly 20% every year. With the weak execution of Intellectual Property Rights and the growing corruption, there is no doubt that very soon one may find himself driving a counterfeited car! If you think it won't happen to you, think again. There are nearly 128 ‘known versions’ of Parachute Hair Oil, 113 of Fair & Lovely cream, 44 of Vicks VapoRub, and 38 of Clinic Plus Shampoo. The reasons they are so popular with counterfeiters is because they are money-spinning brands with wide appeal, easily reproduced and sold in the Indian market. The problem is manifest across all product categories throughout the country - medicines, FMCG products, cosmetics, foodstuffs, aerated soft drinks, liquor, watches, clothes and even currency . Consumers are often unaware that they buy products that rese

he weak execution of Intellectual Property Rights and the growing corruption, there is no doubt that very soon one may find himself driving a counterfeited car! If you think it won't happen to you, think again. There are nearly 128 ‘known versions’ of Parachute Hair Oil, 113 of Fair & Lovely cream, 44 of Vicks VapoRub, and 38 of Clinic Plus Shampoo. The reasons they are so popular with counterfeiters is because they are money-spinning brands with wide appeal, easily reproduced and sold in the Indian market. The problem is manifest across all product categories throughout the country - medicines, FMCG products, cosmetics, foodstuffs, aerated soft drinks, liquor, watches, clothes and even currency . Consumers are often unaware that they buy products that resewith counterfeiters is because they are money-spinning brands with wide appeal, easily reproduced and sold in the Indian market. The problem is manifest across all product categories throughout the country - medicines, FMCG products, cosmetics, foodstuffs, aerated soft drinks, liquor, watches, clothes and even currency . Consumers are often unaware that they buy products that resemble what they want. This is worrying companies because fake products often ride on the success of the original product, eating into sales, and, in some cases, harming the consumer. For counterfeiters, it is the easiest thing. Put a passable product into a tube, with markings that resemble the original and market it in rural, semi-urban areas, through promoters, agents and retailers willing to make a quick buck. For most, the con job is easy to carry through.

Consider the figures. Counterfeit products comprise $200 billion a year. Ironically, it is even endemic in countries such as China, which is known for flooding the world market with low-cost priced products. In China, losses from counterfeiting are estimated at approximately 20 per cent of total sales revenues for MNCs such as Procter & Gamble ($150 million), Nike ($70 million), Unilever ($24 million), Gillette ($20 million), Johnson & Johnson ($15 million) and $6 million for BestFoods. Most of the products copied are top-selling brands and consumers could be seriously affected while consuming low quality adulterated products, particularly in the food and drug categories. These are usually manufactured under unhygienic conditions and without proper technical supervision. According to a study conducted by AC Nielsen in India on 30 FMCG companies, eight out of every ten consumers who purchased pass-off products felt cheated and only knew after purchase that the product was a pass-off. Surprisingly, 42 per cent of all the consumers surveyed were awar