Are influencers unknowingly endorsing fake goods?Influencers have become one of the best ways to get your products sold online, and many brands invest millions into "top-tier" influencers to promote their products. Unfortunately, this has created a situation where some influencers, knowingly or unknowingly, promote counterfeit goods. Image source: Ron Lach from Pexels Recent studies have shown that many influencers do not actually evaluate the product they endorse, and they accept payment to promote such products without being aware of the ramifications of promoting and/or selling counterfeit goods. Many of them don’t bother as long as the product “looks good”. Many people view influencers as friends or acquaintances as opposed to advertisers and as a result, they automatically trust and admire them. This makes them more likely to buy the products that influencers are promoting without hesitation and without questioning the authenticity of the products. More than 45% of the world’s population is active social media users, which poses a great risk for the promotion and sale of counterfeit goods to gain traction online. The following can be done to combat these infringers on social media platforms:
About the authorVashti Nagel is a Candidate Attorney, Trade marks department, KISCH IP |