Falsifications in the Dominican Republic: an illegal booming business

The populous Duarte Avenue of the Dominican capital has become a great showcase of falsifications. From formal stores to improvised positions on the sidewalks they offer “luxury brands“At prices that tempt, moving a business that attracts buyers in search of status at low cost.

Law 20-00 on Industrial property It prohibits the reproduction, imitation or unauthorized use of registered trademarks. However, in practice it is tolerated a lot in spaces such as Duarte.

Perfumes

In the halls of the Duarte, a vast collection of luxury fragrances It is offered at prices that seem like fantasy, well below what they cost in department stores or formal perfumeries.

Carolina Herrera: While a falsification is sold between 420 and 950 pesos, a Original perfume This brand can exceed 9,500 pesos.
Giorgio Armani: An imitation of It costs only 200 pesos, while a Authentic perfume It costs approximately 12,000 pesos.

Dolce & Gabbana: For only 320 pesos you can get a false version of the popular fragrance, whose original price in the market It may be exceeding 7,500 pesos.

Baccarat: The imitation of To the Rose Maison Baccarat It is achieved by 480 pesos, while the original perfume of Maison Francis Kurkdjian (MFK) is one of the more expensive fragrances of the market, with a price that exceeds 28,000 pesos.

This gap of thousands of pesos Not only does it reflect the difference in the quality of the ingredients (with the health risks that this implies), but also the tax evasion and informality that this market supports.

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Wallets

Portfolios, often seen as a status symbolare another of the star products in the market of falsifications. Prices in Duarte Avenue They are absurdly low, creating the illusion that luxury is accessible to all.

Gucci: An imitation is sold for just 350 pesos, compared to 108,000 pesos or more than It can cost an original wallet.

Michael Kors: A Falsified portfolio It costs 350 pesos, while the price of an authentic model is around 15,200 pesos.

Coach: An imitation for 500 pesos is found, when a Original portfolio This brand can be worth more than 15,000 pesos.

This Price disparity It is a reflection of low production cost of the falsificationsthat use synthetic and poor quality materials, far from the skin and the finishes of authentic products.

Sports articles

The caps and t -shirts of sports teams are products of Mass consumption which are also the target of the falsifications .

Caps (adidas, nike, puma, pole): Replicas are sold between 200 and 250 pesos, while An original hat of these brands costs between 1,300 and 2,000 pesos in official stores.

Basketball T -shirts: A team of a team is found for 300 pesos, in contrast to an official replica that It can cost 2,250 pesos, or more if it is a game version.

Tennis (Adidas, Nike, Jordan, New Balance): The imitations are sold for less than 1,000 pesos. The price of a couple of original tennis From these brands it varies, but it can range between 5,000 and 15,000 pesos, or even more for exclusive models.

In all these cases, the Price difference It illustrates disproportion between a genuine product, which invests in design, technology and high quality materials, and a cheap copy that only seeks to imitate the superficial appearance.

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Duarte falsified school supplies seized

The Public Ministry last August 22, three raids in commercial establishments of Duarte Avenue in which some 5,000 counterfeit school articles were seized.

The operations, headed by the Marineldy Peña prosecutors, Miguelina de Palma and Rafael Reyes, confirmed that the supplies occupied in businesses of Asian merchants presented falsified distinctive signs, in violation of Law 20-00 on industrial property.