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CHANEL has made it a top priority to stop
the sale of fake products. |
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CHANEL continuously monitors the Internet
and auction websites and takes action where appropriate including but not
limited to filing civil lawsuits and lodging criminal complaints against
counterfeiters. |
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To those of you out there who may be
considering the purchase of fake items, we urge you to recognize
that by purchasing a fake product you are supporting criminal
activity and ask therefore that you refuse to purchase fake goods. |
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To the counterfeiters, bear in mind that we
are watching and we are taking action. |
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WHY SHOULD I CARE THAT I AM BUYING A
COUNTERFEIT ITEM? NO ONE IS BEING HURT! |
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Counterfeiters sell poor quality
products. You may think you are getting a good deal but more often
than not the product quickly will break, rip, fade or just fall
apart. |
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Counterfeiters often engage in other
unlawful conduct, such as identity theft and failing to deliver
goods that were paid for. |
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Counterfeiters may be part of
organized crime networks or terrorist groups, with profits often
used to support their activities. |
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Counterfeiters do not pay taxes,
leading to millions of dollars in lost revenues that would otherwise
go to cities and states from the sale of legitimate goods. |
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HOW DO I KNOW IF THE PRODUCT IS COUNTERFEIT? |
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If the deal is too good to be true you are
probably being sold a fake. |
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If you buy a "CHANEL" product through an
unauthorized dealer, you could be purchasing a fake. CHANEL
distributes its products only through authorized outlets. Most authorized
outlets are listed at www.chanel.com. |
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If a product bearing the CHANEL mark or CC
monogram is advertised as being of "AAA quality" or as a "replica", the
product is fake and is illegal. The fact that there may be postings for
such items on the Internet does not make them legal. |
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Frequently Asked Questions: |
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Q: |
Why are counterfeiters
allowed to sell their products over the Internet if it is against
the law? |
A: |
Like
many criminals, counterfeiters routinely ignore the law. While
Internet service providers and hosts claim to prohibit
counterfeiting, they generally do not pre-screen postings. |
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Q: |
Why do auction sites
allow the posting of fakes? |
A: |
While auction sites may state that
fake items cannot be offered for sale, generally no auction
site will guarantee the authenticity of the products sold and
fake goods are often available. Most auction sites make money
based on the listing or sale of goods including fake goods.
Due to the explosion of postings for fake goods on
auction sites, companies like CHANEL cannot always monitor them for
fakes and cannot and do not guarantee the authenticity of the
products sold. CHANEL and companies like CHANEL have repeatedly
requested that auction sites take direct responsibility for
monitoring their sites and for ensuring that unlawful merchandise is
not offered for sale but fakes continue to be available on
line |
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Q: |
Can I trust that websites
listed by search engines are not selling fakes? |
A: |
No. Search
engines generally do not pre-screen websites that are linked to
their search engines. |
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Q: |
I just bought a CHANEL handbag from
a website and I think it may be fake. Can CHANEL help me? |
A: |
As much as CHANEL
would like to help the victims of counterfeiting, CHANEL cannot get
back money that was paid to a counterfeiter or repair fake
products. Chanel regularly sues counterfeiters. In this way, CHANEL
is helping existing and future victims of counterfeiting. However,
to avoid problems, the best advice is to purchase CHANEL products
only through authorized CHANEL retailers. |
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Q: |
How can I tell if an item
is genuine? |
A: |
Unfortunately, CHANEL cannot
provide the public with detailed information on how to identify
genuine CHANEL products since obviously counterfeiters could use
this information to further deceive the public. The only way that
you can be certain that you are purchasing a genuine CHANEL product
is to purchase it from an authorized CHANEL retailer. |
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EXAMPLES OF JUDGMENTS AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS: |
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