You buy a fake Gucci wallet online. No one's gonna know, right?
Buy a knock off Burberry. You figure no one's gonna come after you.
But we found, from fancy purses to signature jewelry to popular software programs, there's a new war on knockoffs. If you shop on the web, you may be in their sights.
Atty. Carol Faulkner, Embroidery Software Protection Coalition”You can't hide, because it's the Internet, not anymore.”
High prestige companies like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Gucci sue Internet auction sites for selling counterfeit items.
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News”All of this is counterfeit?”
Attorney Mark Schonfeld, Burns & Levinson”Oh yes.”
Their attorneys are demanding purchaser information. In fact, every one of these is the name of an online buyer; a person who may have bought just one item just one time.
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News”How many names would you say you have?”
Attorney Mark Schonfeld, Burns & Levinson”Thousands.”
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News”Thousands of names?”
Attorney Mark Schonfeld, Burns & Levinson”Yes.”
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News”And do they know you know?”
Attorney Mark Schonfeld, Burns & Levinson”No.”
Some estimate 90 percent of the stuff on the 'Net is phony. Big name designers have trained this lawyer to spot fakes. She's now scouting sites to knock off the knockoffs.
Attorney Mark Schonfeld, Burns & Levinson”There's not a day that goes by when we don't find more of these online.”
The people who make and sell copyrighted designs like these are also on a mission their target: people like Virginia Soto.
This suburban mom, with a cozy home and a darling daughter, sews cute crafts as gifts for her friends. But after Virginia went online to buy software for her sewing machine, she found herself on a brand new most wanted list.
Virginia Soto”I was very, very nervous, very frightened that we would be in big trouble.”
This surprising letter informed her these discs she bought were counterfeit. Then, it threatened legal action to sue her for $30,000 if she didn't agree to pay a settlement.
Virginia Soto”The letter basically said even through you didn't know, you're still in trouble for what you did. I truly felt like I had committed some sort of a crime.”
Virginia's letter came from the people who create sewing patterns and artwork.
Their lawyer says they've had it with copyrights being ripped off. Big time seller or little suburban buyer they're going after you.
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News”Would you actually sue them?”
Attorney Carol Faulkner, Embroidery Software Protection Coalition”That hasn't been determined at this time. We have the legal right to.”
Law enforcement has been targeting knockoff sellers for years. Local raids rake in warehouses full of fake fashions: this stuffs from Downtown Crossing and this from Quincy, all resulted in criminal charges.
But when the recording industry started going after college kids for illegal downloading, other industries decided they'd go after little guy, too.
Hundreds of buyers have already been hit hard. We have learned the company going after Virginia has already collected $168,000, and they're still on the hunt.
Attorney Carol Faulkner, Embroidery Software Protection Coalition”We don't want them doing it again.”
As for Virginia, the software she got didn't even work. She wouldn't pay settlement money, but did send an apology and offered to send the discs back. No reply so far.
Virginia Soto”It worries me a little bit. I guess I'll be more careful.”
Louis Vuitton and other designer companies haven't decided yet what to do with individual's names, but they say they hope when buyers realize they're keeping track they'll stay away from the fakes.
(Copyright (c) 2006 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)