Seattle Trademark Lawyer

The New York Times ran a disturbing story on Thursday: “Counterfeit Food More Widespread Than Suspected.”

That’s right. Counterfeit food.

The article talked about how a Russian gang faked vodka. It put booze in “genuine vodka bottles with near-perfect counterfeit labels and duty stamps,” which they sold in stores in England. The main difference between the gang’s vodka and the genuine article it copied?

The counterfeit vodka contained bleach to lighten its color, along with high levels of methanol, which can cause blindness.

The article said at least 20 people died last year from drinking counterfeit liquor.

It adds that counterfeiters employ a “huge array” of deceptions. “Simple ones involve presenting cheap products as branded or top-quality ones, like selling catfish as sea bream, labeling farmed salmon as wild or marketing battery-produced eggs as organic or free range.”

“In other cases, cheaper ingredients are added to genuine products to increase profit margins. Sometimes vegetable oil goes into chocolate bars, or pomegranate juice, wine, coffee, honey or olive oil is adulterated with water, sweeteners or cheaper substitutes.”

All this is scary. It also illustrates how much consumers depend on brands. If you see a mark you trust, you’re comfortable putting that food on the table.

I’ve said it before: counterfeiting isn’t all about fake hand bags. Fortunately, it isn’t an epidemic in our country. But sometimes consumers become casualties in the struggle between brand owners and criminals.