Counterfeit Goods Can Be Dangerous

By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas
People in and around Las Vegas love to find a bargain. Some shoppers will look far and wide just to save some money on almost anything. That’s the beauty of a free market society: people who put in the effort to compare prices are usually rewarded by paying less for what they buy.
But this paradigm changes when talking about the black market.
There are millions of counterfeit items sold around the world every year. They can be found at street vendors, in flea markets, or on the Internet. Many times, they are offered through legitimate retailers, but these products all have one thing in common: huge discounts. However, people who are considering buying these items would do well to remember the old adage, “You get what you pay for.”
Not only is selling counterfeit products illegal for the vendor, but it can be potentially dangerous for the buyer.
At a recent intellectual property conference in Hong Kong, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder noted that counterfeiters are not just hawking fake electronics, shoes, or handbags – they’re selling consumer goods like brake pads, toothpaste, and even prescription medications.
In the legal free market of the U.S., the products being sold are constantly being monitored for their safety. So buyers can trust that the goods they are purchasing will not hurt them – and those few who are victimized by unsafe products have legal remedies available to them (like filing a product liability lawsuit, for instance).
But manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit goods are usually located somewhere overseas. So if you were to buy a counterfeit product and suffer ill effects from it, you could not hold anyone accountable for your injuries (or even death). Authorities might be able to raid a storefront or shut down a website, but the makers of the dangerous products are usually either anonymous or are located in a country where counterfeit laws are not enforced. 
You’ve undoubtedly heard of the phrase, “Buyer beware!” There is no realm where this sentiment is truer than in the world of counterfeit items.
About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.