Law Against Buying Fake Handbags Gets Another Push

Following their recent closeup in the New York Times Magazine, Councilmember Margaret Chin is again pushing for a law against buying Sito Ufficiale Gucci counterfeit handbags that have traditionally been a magnet for tourists along Canal Street. “People think it’s an adventure,” Chin told the Post. “It’s always illegal for people to sell, but it’s not illegal for the people who buy this stuff. Hopefully, this law will cut down on the demand.”

Chin's legislation, which has been stalled since 2011, would make purchasing counterfeit handbags a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. “People are worried that some innocent middle-aged woman might unwittingly purchase Borsa Gucci a [counterfeit] bag,” Chin said. “If you go into a back room, basement or van, you probably know what you’re doing is not legal.”

While there have been many "crackdowns" on Canal Street and photo-ops with public officials displaying confiscated knock-off goods, demand Gucci Borse is still high, and many low-level sellers who are charged with distributing counterfeit goods are given a misdemeanor and set free.

Author Dana Thomas says the working conditions and low pay ($60 a month) of the factories that crank out the counterfeit goods (Customs says they seized $348 million in forgeries last year in New York) make buying fakes far from a victimless crime—not to Borse Gucci say that bonafide luxury brands are uniformly scrupulous either.

“The counterfeit industry is very similar to the drug trade. It’s something that’s illegal, smuggled into the country and sold at an enormous profit," she notes.

Recently, Chin has gone after another downtown curbside staple: food trucks that block fire hydrants.