Buying fake handbags in New York could become a crime as lawmaker tries again to impose fines and jail time on those who purchase knockoffs
Street sellers might not be the only ones punishable in counterfeit exchanges if one local lawmaker has her say.
Tourists and other buyers could soon face fines and prison time as well.
New York City Councilwoman Margaret Chin wants to make it illegal to buy knockoff handbags and other counterfeit items in Chinatown.
Knock it off: New York City Councilwoman Margaret Chin wants to make it illegal to buy knockoff handbags and other counterfeit items in Chinatown
Her bill would slap anyone caught buying designer fakes with a maximum $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
Chin and other lower-Manhattan residents are petitioning for a hearing on the measure this year, as Canal Street peddlers continue to harass local residents, commuters and tourists passing by.
‘People think it’s an adventure,’ Chin, a Manhattan Democrat, said in an interview with the New York Post. ‘If you want to get these name-brand knock-offs at a cheap price, you go to Chinatown,’ she said.
‘It’s always illegal for people to sell, but it’s not illegal for the people who buy this stuff. Hopefully, this law will cut down on the demand,’ Chin added.
New York police officers seized more than 1,000 fake bags from an underground shop last month, she said.
This is not the first time the councilwoman from Hong Kong has proposed such a measure to cut down on counterfeit selling and the harassment of passers-by that comes with it.
She proposed a similar bill with the same penalties in April 2011, but the bill never passed.
‘In Chinatown, people can come and shop for some really authentic goods, and we want them to really experience the neighborhood, not just come down and buy these fake knockoffs,’ Chin said at the time. ‘We want to be known for our museums, our shops, our restaurants.’
$340 million worth of black-market handbags were seized in New York in 2012, according to statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Chin proposed a similar bill with the same penalties in April 2011, but the bill never passed