Lessons From China’s Counterfeit Crackdown

Beijing resident Wang Wenwen says she frequently trawled China’s online marketplaces for brand-name bargains, but grew tired of receiving obviously fake merchandise. The breaking point was a blue, floral-patterned dress she got for $32 that was advertised as a product of popular Chinese brand Five Plus. Not only wasn’t it a Five Plus dress, she says—no label to be found—it was made with “bad materials, unlike those claimed on the site.” Now Wang makes sure she can see and touch her clothes before she buys them.

Although China is well known as a paradise for consumers of cheap pirated goods—software, DVDs, clothing, makeup—that may soon change. At the same time that the government is taking a closer look at online counterfeits, shoppers are becoming more dissatisfied with the quality of their purchases. In April the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced what official news agency Xinhua called “a new round of crackdowns” against “Internet-based crimes” such as online piracy and fake goods. The wide-ranging campaign is said to cover everything from trademark violations and deceptive advertising to shoddy agricultural products and pharmaceuticals, with the government vowing that companies caught violating the rules “will be banned.”