The Counterfeit Shoes market is the selling of shoes under brand names without a license or the permission of the legitimate brand owner.

According to BusinessWeek Magazine, the annual estimated losses to the shoe industry from counterfeits is $12 billion.  Fake shoes are also the most counterfeited product entering the United States.

In Brazil alone, consumers spent $920 million on fake shoes.

Source: BusinessWeek, “The Most Counterfeited Products,” October 2008. (accessed: August 3, 2009).

Source: Brazil-U.S. Business Council, ” The Impact of Counterfeiting and Piracy on Sao Paulo City and Brazil,” June 2005, and ” Brazil Council releases Counterfeiting and Piracy study, ” (accessed: October 9, 2005).

The United States Customs and Border Protection donated $78 Million of counterfeit clothes that it seized in 2009 to various charities.   The counterfeited logos were removed and only essentials such as clothes and shoes were donated to the organizations.

Source:  Jim Dwyer, “Closing Pipeline to Needy, City Shreds Clothes,” New York Times, January 12, 2010.

According to the Guardian, fashion label Burberry is believed to be the most copied fashion label by counterfeit manufacturers, ahead of labels such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

Source: “Counterfeit fashion: The most copied designer labels,” Guardian, March 17, 2009.

Websites selling counterfeit shoes have increased dramatically within the first six months of 2009, according to shoe brand owners.  Luxury shoe makes Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahnik has all found that counterfeit versions of their popular shoes are being sold on various websites.  All of the unauthorized sites sell counterfeit shoes that are advertised at prices up to 70 percent below the authentic version.

Source:  Sean Poulter, “Beware killer heels: Warning over fake versions of designer shoes worn by celebrities,” Daily Mail, July 15, 2009.

According to statistics released by the United States Border Patrol, counterfeit shoes was the number one commodity seized by agents at in Fiscal Year 2008.

Source:  United States Customs and Border Protection, “CBP, ICE Release Annual Report on Counterfeit Goods Seized,” January 8, 2009.

Police in New York City arrested 6 sellers of counterfeit goods who’s products included pairs of fake Obama Nikes.  According to the New York Daily News, the fake shoes were found with various other counterfeit products, such as Prada and Coach handbags.  The Obama shoes were sold as a line of Nike shoes.

See a picture of the shoe at the New York Daily News here.

Source: AP, “Nike wins counterfeit suits against Chinese shoemakers,” USA Today, August 21, 2007.

Source: “New Balance: The Cost of Copies,” BusinessWeek, February 7, 2005.

Counterfeit shoes accounted for 41 percent of all seizures made in Fiscal Year 2006 by United States Immigration and Custom Agents.

Source: “Counterfeit goods seizures up 83% in FY 2006: DHS made 14,675 seizures, worth more than $155 million,” U.S.Immigration and Custom Enforcement, January 11, 2007.