While counterfeiting may not be the “world’s oldest profession,” given its ancient roots and its ubiquity across geographic and cultural boundaries (counterfeit coins were as common in Roman times as Canal Street knock-offs are today), it clearly deserves a place as one of the humanity’s most persistent paths in pursuit of illicit profits. But just because counterfeiting is enduring does not mean that it is unchanging; many of the same macroeconomic drivers, fashion trends and new technologies that inform our preferences at the shopping mall also drive the behavior of the astute counterfeiter. So as the newspaper headlines continue tell us that bad economic times may stay with us for a while, it is worth considering how a challenging economic environment can impact the behavior of the counterfeiter and what brand owners can and should do to fight this threat.
