The FEDS have seized and shut down 130 websites on the pretext they were committing crimes with intellectual property violations, selling counterfeit goods.
“Intellectual property crimes are not victimless,” said Attorney General Eric Holder at the time.
“The theft of ideas and the sale of counterfeit goods threaten economic opportunities and financial stability, suppress innovation and destroy jobs. The Justice Department, with the help of our law enforcement partners, is changing the perception that these crimes are risk-free with enforcement actions like the one announced today,” Holder added.
None of the above is true. People selling things Louis Vuitton never made to people who would never be Louis Vuitton customers is hardly "wrong." How can one steal an idea? How do counterfeit goods threaten economic opportunities and financial stability, suppress innovation and destroy jobs? This is oft-repeated but never demonstrated. People who actually study it become anti-IPR like so many patent attorneys and economists are today. See the book below.
People such as myself who actually produce things for a living certainly do not believe Holder's assertions. Although personally I think counterfeit goods is a was of time and talent for a merchant, I certainly see no harm in it. I am not opposed to it, but I would never bother myself and certainly always urge people to do better with their time and creativity than work in counterfeits.
What happened at MFGlobal is only the tip of the iceberg. While bankers and brokers steal countless futures, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are cracking down on on poor people flogging fake crap to other poor people. Both parties are willing participant, no one is getting hurt.
And as an aside, on this false pretext defending economic opportunities and financial stability, innovation and jobs, 130 websites were seized by the government. See how easy if is for them to shut down a site, even when, as the article points out, they do not have the right to do so?
But see how it works... billionaires who have taxpayer-subsidized stadiums have a monopoly on selling Jerseys and then you and I also have to pay to have expensive law enforcement shut down these sites, on some very tendentious pretext. In the meantime holder does not have time to notice if his boys are gun-running into Mexico. Jersey counterfeit interdiction for billionaires - on it! Gunrunning? What's that?
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