How Bad is India's Fake Problem?


A recent report in the Daily India claims India is fast emerging as one of the major manufacturing hubs of fake products ranging from cosmetics to electronics, software, mineral water, books, music cassettes. Interestingly, mineral water is one of the easiest products to counterfeit. It is trivial to refill empty bottles, and even acquiring new, tamper-evident closures is a simple matter.

Counterfeit products on an average constitute about 20 percent of the legal market. In case of some products, it is even 50 percent or more,' said Sachit Kumar, director of Globe Detective Agency Pvt Ltd.

We reported here earlier, that up to 50% of the "Scotch" whiskey in India is fake. Between 10 and 15% of inkjet cartridges are reported to be fake.