How do manufacturers act against the counterfeiting problem? And the police?
The following are two news items on this topic.
The first, to tell the truth, is not very new. We had already given it in an article that appeared in the 2005 Special issue of L'OROLOGIO. It concerns the fact that, when selling/buying a fake watch, where the fake is a slavish copy and the buyer is aware that he is buying a fake (otherwise it would be a fraud), the offence concerns both the seller and the buyer. That is, both commit a criminal offence under our law. The fine, for the buyer, can reach a maximum, it seems, of EUR 10,000. But what is new? Simple: from first-hand contacts of your watch reporter we learn that our law enforcement agencies have finally decided to put the law into practice. It could therefore happen in the next few days that, in addition to the 200 euros owed to the seller, a purchaser of yet another fake Submariner 'green' will also have to pay a few thousand euros to the Guardia di Finanza. At that point he would find himself having paid the full price of a real Rolex for a piece of iron, which he will not even be able to pass off as original, since it will be confiscated...
The second, concerns a very important Italian watch brand, which fights against counterfeiting in several product sectors. We are talking about Breil Milano.
