Imitation Nation

In this episode, we cover:

• The Korean Customs Service did a special inspection surge of counterfeit products leading up to America’s Black Friday and China’s Double 11 shopping days. Along with seizing over 600,000 counterfeit items, they did materials analysis on 250 of them, including jewelry that had heavy metals at over 5,000 times the limits for safety. They also found fake Labubu dolls with phthalates, which are carcinogens, at over 300 times the maximum level considered safe.
• Europol has published its new report titled Cheating the Toy World: Operation LUDUS (2020–2025), and the findings are shocking. Over the course of five years, law enforcement across Europe seized nearly 50 million counterfeit and potentially dangerous toys, worth roughly €150 million, during coordinated raids.  Many of those fake toys — from dolls to building bricks and board games — failed basic safety standards, carrying risks like choking, burns, exposure to toxic chemicals, or use of faulty batteries.  Europol says the operation exposes how criminal networks exploit e-commerce, social-media sales, and global shipping to flood markets with unsafe toys — a stark warning for parents and shoppers this festive season.  
• UK Customs Border Force has published a border seizure report for the three years 2021 through 2023, the first report since the UK’s departure from the EU. They said that during that time, they seized over 3 million articles, 95% of which were confirmed counterfeit in 2021 and 89% in 2023. The confirmed counterfeits were all destroyed. In 2023 alone, they seized over 200 million pounds worth of fakes. The trend, they said, is for criminals to ship fewer fakes, but of a higher value. China, Hong Kong, and Turkey are the leading sources of these, in that order. Fake clothing is a consistent highest category of fakes.
• A startup from Fibarcode at University of Michigan has developed a clever new way to weave barcodes directly into fabrics — using invisible photonic fibers that only reveal their unique code under specific wavelengths of light. Backed by a roughly US $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the technology aims to tackle a huge problem: right now, less than 15% of the 92 million tonnes of clothing and textiles thrown away each year are recycled — largely because labels wear out or get cut off. By embedding a permanent, hard-to-forge “barcode” into fabric itself — invisible until scanned — Fibarcode hopes to make garments easier to sort, recycle, authenticate, and track. 
• Authorities in Canada are warning about potentially lethal fakes of HVAC coolant. The fake coolant, which contains lethal methyl chloride, is extremely flammable and corrosive. It can react with aluminum in the HVAC system and ignite spontaneously on contact with air. Brief exposure through inhalation can have severe health effects. If you are in the HVAC business and buy coolants like R410A and R134a, please read our alert. In a separate warning from German manufacturer Copeland, they warned about a counterfeit compressor they obtained from a customer who thought they were buying a genuine product. Counterfeit HVAC equipment has also been reported by manufacturers such as Bitzer and Danfoss.
• The DEA announced that in Los Angeles, in October, they seized over one million counterfeit pills made with fentanyl. This is part of a DEA surge around the country in multiple cities. Along with the pills, the LA operation also seized 70 kilograms of fentanyl powder, almost a thousand kilograms of methamphetamine, 149 kilograms of cocaine, three pill presses, 15 firearms, and 28 million dollars of cash. The operation is named Operation Fentanyl Free America.
• Counterfeit money news this week includes incidents in downtown Howell, Michigan. A bakery and a sandwich shop both got a fake hundred, which they didn’t catch until they took it to the bank. The sandwich shop said they specifically used a counterfeit-detecting marker on the hundred, and it passed, so they accepted it.  The customer apparently ordered something small off the menu, got their change, and left without picking up their order.
• And in Joliet Illinois, a police officer was caught using a fake $100 to buy lottery tickets. In  London, Ontario, Canada, local police warned about fake Canadian $50’s in circulation.

This week, the world of counterfeits and illicit trade delivered some wild twists, from fake golf grips and forged marathon bibs to a major policy earthquake out of Europe. Here are our headlines: 

• A Florida man pleaded guilty to trafficking counterfeit golf club grips that copied the Scotty Cameron brand, earning $170K from online sales between 2020–2024 and now facing up to 10 years in prison plus a $2M fine.
• An Inkster, Michigan, man is facing felony charges for allegedly using counterfeit $100 bills to pay for pizzas that he never returned to pick up. 
• A crew from New Jersey allegedly produced 10 fake NYC Marathon bibs by copying and modifying an image posted online. 
• A story in DesignNews highlights how counterfeit lithium-ion batteries lack crucial safety features, dramatically raising the risk of thermal runaway and spontaneous fires.
• Lululemon moves to register the term “Lululemon Dupe,” signaling a proactive strategy to address the exploding dupe economy.
• CRBN warns that fakes of its new pickleball paddles appeared on major marketplaces like Temu, Alibaba, eBay, OfferUp, and Facebook within weeks. 

Plus, a major sentencing in the U.S. pill-press trade and a surprising turn in the Notorious Markets process that puts American platforms under a new kind of spotlight. Let’s get into it.

• The European Commission announced that starting in 2026, it will eliminate the 150-euro customs duty exemption for all e-commerce imports. This closes the loophole that counterfeiters relied on to ship billions of small, low-value parcels into the EU with little scrutiny. Once removed, every parcel can be screened and risk-scored, marking what experts call a turning point for global enforcement. With both the EU and U.S. moving to shut down their de minimis systems, the world’s two largest consumer markets are aligning on a new model that could reshape global e-commerce flows and significantly disrupt illicit trade. 
• Sophie Chen, a saleswoman for a Chinese pill-press manufacturer, was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison. Chen's case is significant because it targets the international sellers of pill presses, not just the drugs themselves, a part of the illicit drug supply chain that often escapes accountability. Her employer and three of her colleagues have now been indicted in a related investigation.
• In a striking development, several major U.S. trade groups urged the U.S. government to add domestic platforms, including Meta, Amazon, and eBay, to the Notorious Markets List, traditionally reserved for the world’s worst counterfeit hotspots. Out of 77 submissions, at least six groups called for their inclusion. The message from brand owners is blunt: that the counterfeit crisis is not just offshore. It is happening at scale on American platforms that also claim to have the most sophisticated technology and resources in the world. If this pushes regulators toward stronger oversight and platform accountability, it could signal a major shift in U.S. illicit-trade policy. 

Senior Trade and Policy Analyst Piotr Stryszowski at the OECD published a piece this week in advance of the holidays called “The real cost of counterfeits is higher than you think,” about how the real cost of counterfeits isn’t just poor quality, but toxic materials and health consequences. OECD reports that counterfeit trade hit nearly $470 billion - that’s 2.3% of global trade. And it’s no longer just fake handbags. We’re talking auto parts, medicines, toys, even alcohol, products that can literally kill. The OECD says 65% of seizures continue to come from small parcels and mail. Now this data is from 2022, so we will see how the end of DeMinimis will impact this.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is looking into seven incidents, including five fatalities, involving aftermarket air-bag parts that failed and ruptured during collisions. Federal regulators say they think the air bags in the incidents contain parts from a China-based company called Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, also known as DTN Airbag. Last year, NHTSA said it was aware of five incidents, including three fatalities, involving substandard air-bag inflators failing during a crash. Now the agency is connecting DTN to those incidents and the two additional fatalities—including a crash as recent as July. Air-bag replacements have been in focus since the 2014 recall of Takata air bags, which were linked to 28 deaths in the U.S. and tens of millions of vehicles recalled over the past decade.

France’s highest court reaffirmed Christian Louboutin’s trademark protection for their red sole on their shoes, and upheld a previous court decision of nearly a quarter million euros on a defendant who was found to have sold 12 pairs of counterfeit shoes and 628 handbags. The decision also reaffirmed the enforceability of Louboutin’s signature red-sole trademark under French law.

In the UK so far in 2025, Border Force authorities say they have seized a quarter million fake toys worth 3.5 million pounds. 90% of these were fake Labubu dolls. Testing conducted by authorities show that 3 in every 4 seized toys contain banned chemicals or choking hazards, despite being designed for toddlers and young children. Authorities say parents should prioritize safety, stick to trusted retailers and beware of unusually low-prices.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office announced that in 2024, authorities intercepted 112 million counterfeit goods valued at 3.8 billion euros, the second highest seizure year on record. The report has a breakdown of categories of contraband goods which is topped by fake CDs and DVDs. Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Poland accounted for 90% of the volume of items detained. The top three countries of origin, in this order, are the United Arab Emirates, China, and Turkey. Sea cargo remains the primary mode of transport.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency made a huge bust in Northampton, which is northwest of London. The Criminal Enforcement Unit raided a facility that was manufacturing retatrutide, tirzepatide, and putting it into injector pens for shipment to customers. There was so much product I think it took them two days to log all the seized materials into inventory.

At the time of the raid, they found current inventory of about 2,000 illegally manufactured pens waiting to be shipped worth about a quarter of a million pounds. Authorities say the facility it has been used for large scale illegal manufacturing for some time.

The Mexican pharmaceutical firm IFA Celtics, which makes a variety of pharmaceuticals for women’s health, mental health, and metabolic health has deployed ForgeStop’s NFC labels in their production line of medicines. This is probably the largest investment in anti-counterfeiting technology that a Mexican pharmaceutical firm has ever made. If you’ve ever tapped to pay with your phone or watch, you’ve used the NFC technology. You don’t need to download a new app. Anyone, from patients to pharmacists to the entire distribution chain can use these to verify authenticity of medicines.

Additionally, these verifications get reported to ForgeStop who runs a global dashboard that brands can monitor. So if you’ve shipped a pallet of medicines to Mexico City and the verifications start popping up in the U.S., you’ve got a heads up on a diversion scheme. And since you probably know where you sold that pallet to, you know your suspects.

• Nightline aired a special investigative report “The Dark Shot” on the rise in fake Ozempic with Special Agent Nicole Johnson of Homeland Security Investigations. The reporters found fake Ozempic with no prescription needed available online. They also went to the Port of Cincinnati where they watched them open some Spanish labeled Ozempic that’s not safe for Americans and unable to determine if its counterfeit or not. There was also an interview with legendary investigative reporter Katherine Eban, who chased down counterfeit Ozempic to its source for an earlier article in Vanity Fair.

• San Francisco local fashion brand Baggu created a custom line of hats and water bottles adorned with what looks like the Bay Area Rapid Transit systems logo to celebrate the launch of its new store at 888 Valencia St. There’s just one problem: the transit agency BART had no idea it was happening.

• The U.S. Department of Justice is dismantling OCDETF a key task force targeting major drug cartels, according to internal documents obtained by Reuters. DOJ says the move will streamline operations and save over $11 million, but critics warn it risks weakening core capabilities in prosecuting cartel activity. 

• “The Louisiana Department of Public Health (LDH) warned the public about counterfeit botox, and to avoid receiving injections from unlicensed sources and non-medical settings like med spas.

Police in Los Angeles raided a warehouse tied to CoolKicks, a high-profile sneaker retailer, on Oct. 2 and arrested Co-founder Adeel Shams while he was live streaming an auction of sneakers.

Show notes - Imitation Nation #18

In this episode, we cover:

The International Trademark Association published a quick 14 page handout on making the case for Return on Investment for your company’s anticounterfeiting program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last week announced the seizure of 4.7 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products with an estimated retail value of $86.5 million – the largest-ever seizure of this kind. The seizures were part of a joint federal operation in Chicago to examine incoming shipments and prevent illegal e-cigarettes from entering the country. And simultaneous enforcement actions across the U.S. The seizures, done in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration, with enforcement actions carried out at five distributors and five retailers in North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida, she said.

Puma’s enormous legal victory in German court against a logistics provider for providing logistics for a counterfeiter. It’s a big case, but the key is that it creates new liability for logistics carriers that we didn’t think existed before.

Quick news hits:

• 2,500 shipping containers seized by Greek law enforcement
• Temu Agrees to $2M Civil Penalty and Injunction for Alleged Violations of the INFORM Consumers Act
• Korean Intellectual Property Office boosts 2026 budget to enhance K-brand protection
• High-quality counterfeit  $CAD100 bills circulating in Simcoe County Canada, police warn. But Bank of Canada posted a full review of security features on YouTube, which could almost be seen as a how to guide for forgers. 
• DOJ and DHS Launch Cross-Agency Trade Fraud Task Force
• Fake Labubu dolls described as 'most dangerous counterfeit toys ever seized'

In this episode, we cover:

• Interview with Amazon CCU 
• Counterfeit Lamborghini Drinks 
• Researchers develop new sensor to ‘detect counterfeit medicine’ 
• 32,000 pounds of meat products recalled due to false USDA inspection marks. 
• Counterfeit perfume on Walmart’s platform. Attorney General Nessel Announces Felony Charges Following FORCE Team Counterfeit Product Seizures

If you have a story you want us to cover, let us know in the comments on our linkedin page.

On this week’s episode of Imitation Nation, we discuss one of the biggest trade policy shifts in years: the end of De Minimis, which officially expired at midnight through an Executive Order. This sudden end to a decades old policy is sending ripple effects through supply chains, as freight companies, freight forwarders and Post Offices across the globe are temporarily suspending or stopping shipments to the United States.

We explore what this seismic change means for global commerce and we highlight the positive outcomes for brand protection, brand owners, trademark holders and how this will likely provide lasting impacts on counterfeit enforcement. We also discuss the ripple effects across supply chains, and the strategic implications for professionals on the frontlines of IP enforcement.

We also cover the sudden termination of the controversial Type 86 entry pilot program, which has resulted in the exponential growth in small parcel and De Minimis shipments. Beyond the headlines, we look at where counterfeiters may move next and why this shift,
though disruptive, could ultimately create a stronger, more resilient landscape for legitimate commerce and be a game changer for Brand Protection.