Should Authorities Donate Seized Fake Goods To L.A.'s Poor?
We reported this week how L.A. city officials boasted of a big bust of counterfeit goods right in the heart of last-minute shopping season.
louisvuitton.com For real.
More than $4 million worth of fake crap was seized and 10 suspects were arrested, according to an announcement by city Controller Wendy Greuel.
We questioned the focus of so many resources on a marginal market, however.
It's not like the people who buy $20 fake Louis Vuitton bags are going to fork out a couple grand for the real thing. So is that really money lost for the designer?
Greuel, the LAPD and the sheriff's department insist they're fighting the good fight here, noting that many of the seized items were bootleg DVDs in a city that depends on the kindness of Hollywood employment.
But what do do with all that phony stuff? Burn it? Put it in a landfill?
Our commenter of the day, Albert, has an idea:
How about taking all these "fake" DVDs, CDs, and usable goods -- which are perfectly usable -- and donating them to people who can't afford to buy any Christmas presents?Or does it send a stronger political message to bury them all in a landfill, where they shall sit for 300,000 years.... or better yet! Burn them on top of a pile of 'illegal' medical marijuana!!!
Funny, the cops would never come to my house in LA when our cars were repeatedly broken into... in my driveway... in broad daylight. I guess they were busy getting those 'Charlie St. Cloud' DVDs out of MacArthur park and safely stowed in an evidence locker somewhere.
Good points, all of them, Albert.
We think all that fake crap should be given to the poor too. After all, those are the people who would have bought the stuff in the first place. Mind as well give them the old 100 percent discount and pretend like we put a dent in the faux goods industry.
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