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AAFA marks World IP Day with Facts on Fashion Fakes
27 Apr '10
2 min read
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of World IP Day on April 26, 2010, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) released a new fact sheet, Facts on Fashion Fakes, identifying the impact counterfeiting has on the U.S. apparel and footwear industry.
“Each year, footwear, apparel, and fashion accessories rank at the top of the list of counterfeit goods seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” said AAFA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “At $140 million, fake shoes, clothes, and fashion accessories, like purses and wallets, accounted for well over half of the $260 million in counterfeit goods seized by CBP in 2009.”
“While I applaud the progress CBP has made combating the importation of fake footwear, apparel, and fashion accessory products, their work has just exposed the tip of the iceberg,” said Burke. “Even though we cannot begin to calculate the real cost of counterfeiting, it is clear that illegal counterfeiting hurts the United States. Counterfeiting steals American jobs, robs U.S. brands of valid sales, damages the reputations of U.S. brands, and causes significant loss in tax revenue for the U.S. government.”
“AAFA has long advocated for aggressive enforcement to fight the scourge of counterfeiting,” Burke said. “By building a more dynamic conversation with our international trade partners as well as between our own enforcement agencies, we can continue to fight this problem to ensure the U.S. apparel and footwear industry remains competitive in the global marketplace.”
The Facts on Fashion Fakes fact sheet can be found on the AAFA Web site.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market.
“Each year, footwear, apparel, and fashion accessories rank at the top of the list of counterfeit goods seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” said AAFA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “At $140 million, fake shoes, clothes, and fashion accessories, like purses and wallets, accounted for well over half of the $260 million in counterfeit goods seized by CBP in 2009.”
“While I applaud the progress CBP has made combating the importation of fake footwear, apparel, and fashion accessory products, their work has just exposed the tip of the iceberg,” said Burke. “Even though we cannot begin to calculate the real cost of counterfeiting, it is clear that illegal counterfeiting hurts the United States. Counterfeiting steals American jobs, robs U.S. brands of valid sales, damages the reputations of U.S. brands, and causes significant loss in tax revenue for the U.S. government.”
“AAFA has long advocated for aggressive enforcement to fight the scourge of counterfeiting,” Burke said. “By building a more dynamic conversation with our international trade partners as well as between our own enforcement agencies, we can continue to fight this problem to ensure the U.S. apparel and footwear industry remains competitive in the global marketplace.”
The Facts on Fashion Fakes fact sheet can be found on the AAFA Web site.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market.
American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
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