Vancouver is taking steps to prevent the counterfeiting of Olympic merchandise for the 2010 Winter Olympics. From the Vancouver Sun: 2010 Olympic Winter Games organizers are preparing themselves for an expected post-Beijing wave of counterfeit goods. With barely two months until the completion of the Summer Games in Beijing, the attention of the world — and counterfeiters — [...]

The Washington Post reports on the battle by Chinese authorities against unauthorized Olympic Merchandise. From the Washington Post: The furtive trade in the five official, adorable Olympics figures — including Huanhuan, Jingjing the Panda and others — is part of an Olympic-size battle that has erupted between the keepers of the Games’ lucrative symbols and an army [...]

A guest columnist in Marketwatch mentions the difficulty in finding counterfeit olympic merchandise in China.  From Marketwatch:  Smart official Olympic merchandise stores sell all manner of genuine, expensive knick-knacks. There’s clearly a market for these high-value goods, and if there’s one thing that China’s counterfeiters are good at, it’s spotting a gap in the market. So where [...]

The Counterfeit Sports Memorabilia and Equipment market consists of two separate but related industries. The Counterfeit Sports Memorabilia market consists of products that claim to be team or player products but are not authentic. Counterfeit Sports Equipment products are items that are sold under brand names without the authority of the [...]

Jeff Lee, “Counterfeit goods seized from Metro retailers,” Vancouver Sun, April 24, 2008. 

According to company executives, 5.6 counterfeit balls are sold for each authentic Spalding basketball in China. Source: William Freebairn,  “Spalding tries to prevent basketball counterfeiting,” June 15, 2006, The Republican (U.S.), (accessed: July 1, 2006).

The price of counterfeit golf clubs manufactured in China usually sells at levels 75 percent below the authentic price. Source: Bloomberg News, “Fake golf clubs are ‘nightmare’,” International Herald Tribune, May 18, 2005,(accessed: July 1, 2006).

In a report published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, a sports equipment manufacturer who is familiar with the counterfeit market in China estimates that “for every one legitimate item sold, there are four counterfeits sold.” Source: “Sporting Goods Market in China,” U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration,September 20, 2005,(accessed: July 10, [...]

Source: Dave Battagello, ” Counterfeit goods a growing threat, ” Windsor Star, May 3, 2005.

From the San Diego Union Tribune: Many of the National Football League and Major League Baseball items sold in Tijuana and throughout Mexico are counterfeit – a savings for consumers but a financial hit for the professional leagues and their manufacturing partners. Some are made in Tlaxcala, Mexico, and brought to the border without the producers [...]