A Tisket, A Tasket, A Counterfeited Casket

The counterfeiters thought that their products were dead ringers for the real thing. But their products ended up bringing a lawsuit to life instead.

News out of Houston took on a macabre tone as the York Group, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of caskets, sought a temporary restraining order against the Wuxi Taihu Tractor Co. for sales of imitation caskets. The caskets for sale by the Chinese company mimicked the York caskets in "hardware, design lines and paintjobs." This is not the first time the York Group has tangled with this Chinese company. In 2006, the York Group brought a similar and successful suit against Wuxi Taihu Tractor Co. in which the Chinese company was ordered to stop distributing counterfeit caskets and to start putting a "Made in China" label as required by federal law for items made in China.

The article heavily quotes defendants and competitors of York in the Houston area, who disparage York's claims. Patrick Mancini, a wholesale seller of the Chinese coffins, says that he has received no complaints about the knockoff caskets from customers.

Of course, it would be difficult for many of the customers to complain.