Paying the Piper

We recently commented on a Japanese poll showing a majority of Japanese citizens condoning the purchase of counterfeit goods. Anecdotally, we have further evidence of this worldwide trend in the American Presidential race.

The Authentics Foundation will studiously avoid the appearance of favoritism or partisanship during this American presidential election season. Counterfeiting is, after all, a problem that transcends party loyalties, and we are hopeful that both major tickets would use the levers of American Federal Government power to fight counterfeiting. But given that, we would be remiss if we did not comment on this recent photo of Sarah Palin's daughter Piper carrying a fake Louis Vuitton bag.

We do not know, of course, who purchased the bag or if the Palins were aware that Piper's handbag was counterfeit. And even so, a huge swath of Americans do not realize how profits from counterfeit goods can fund some truly undesirable activities such as child labor or criminal enterprises. The Palins also have a lot on their minds these days. Nevertheless, that the daughter of a Vice Presidential candidate can casually tote a fake handbag through a minefield of media and image handlers illustrates how deeply ingrained the consumption of counterfeit goods is, even in faraway Alaska. Highly discouraging stuff.