
To Catch a Counterfeiter - okfine
https://story.californiasunday.com/to-catch-a-counterfeiter
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ythn
> but lost an estimated $10 billion in potential earnings

I hate the term "potential earnings". I agree some money was lost here, but
potential earnings are a terrible metric to estimate losses.

"X was pirated a billion times, and X sells for $3, therefore we lost $3
billion in potential earnings"

~~~
LordKano
I agree.

Counterfeit goods cost rights holders money but the way these losses are
calculated seems to be dishonest to me.

I think it's clear that some of the people who bought the counterfeit item
would have bought the genuine article and those sales are lost but
counterfeits are usually less expensive than genuine items and because they
are less expensive, people who wouldn't normally buy the genuine article are
enticed to buy the counterfeit.

~~~
PhantomGremlin
So now you're telling me that the Rolex watch I bought for $30 a few years ago
on Times Square could be counterfeit? :)

Exactly! I bought it as a novelty. It kept pretty good time for at least a few
months.

And it was so silly easy to buy. There were people on the sidewalk with a
bunch of watches. I said I wanted to pay $20 for nice Rolex. They produced one
within seconds. I let them haggle me into paying a few dollars more.

I didn't cost Rolex any money because I wasn't about to pay $1,000 (or more,
much more?) for a watch. I suppose Rolex would have a better case in the
situation where someone is paying 50% of the genuine price and thinking he's
getting a "deal" and not understanding that he's buying a fake.

