Quite frankly, it makes me question the ethics of a great many of people out there.īoth knockoffs and counterfeits have serious consequences for individuals, companies, and even the environment.Ĭounterfeits are manufactured illegally, and therefore those producing them are not required to comply with safety and production standards. I can’t think of the number of times I have seen discussions in saxophone discussion boards in which players argue that it’s OK to buy these cheap horns-either knockoffs or counterfeits-because.

Source: Red Points A victimless crime? No, no it is not. Therefore, counterfeit goods violate the trademark and other intellectual property rights of the owner of the authentic brand. They are passed off as the genuine product. Selling counterfeit items is illegal in many countries including the the US and Canada.Ī core feature of counterfeit goods is that there is always the malicious intent to deceive and mislead buyers into believing that the product is authentic when it is actually the exact opposite. These goods are cheap, substandard items sold under the trademark or brand name, without the brand owner’s authorization. These are goods produced to deceive the buyer into thinking that they are buying the real thing. Since they make no claim to be the authentic item, they are not straight up illegal-at least not at first. Most often replicas carry a different stamp or logo, which is sadly often very similar to the original. However, they are NOT passed off the the real deal, and don’t bear the trademark of the original. These are goods that are close copies of the original. So let’s look at the terms commonly used in the world of fake goods.Īccording to online brand protection company Red Points, here are some definitions to keep in mind. I thought it would be helpful here to get some definitions cleared up. However, upon sober second thought, I guess it was inevitable that someone would try to make an illegal buck from JK’s hard work over the past century, and their high price tags today. Why? Because quite frankly I didn’t think that JK horns would have enough of a draw to be worth the effort to counterfeit them. This is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that fake Keilwerths are also being made-in likely many of the same factories.Īdmittedly, I was somewhat surprised to see these fake Keilwerths when I first heard about one on Sax on the Web a few weeks ago.

A counterfeit Mark VI soprano sax being sold today on the site where counterfeits and knockoffs are a dime a dozen: AliExpressīy now most educated saxophone shoppers are aware of fake Selmers, Yamahas, and Yanis being sold all over the Net.

Keilwerth st90 soprano