Inside the Knockoff-Tennis-Shoe Factory

Putian, China, with its sneaker manufactures, is a global counterfeiting center, sometimes beating the real sneakers to market and shipping everywhere from Italy to New York. Major footwear companies loathe discussing the problem for fear of upsetting Chinese authorities or losing consumer trust over product authenticity. Even authorities have a tough time distinguishing the best fakes from brand-name counterparts – one clue is the fakes have a “heavy” glue smell. China has an extensive intellectual-property bureaucracy, yet factory raids do little to disturb the constant production pace. Counterfeiting, prohibited by law, is supported by laissez-faire manufacturing policies and hope that acquired skills will fuel legitimate businesses of the future. As Western companies and investigators try to stem the tide, counterfeiting shifts to other countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, in a global cat-and-mouse game between counterfeiters and authorities that has no end. – YaleGlobal