Faking It

You’ve maybe seen the Louis Vuitton handbag knock-off with the questionable "leather." Or maybe the fake Nike Air Jordan sneakers with the questionable spelling. But these are just the tip of the iceberg, it seems.

The Business Insider reports that if you go to China, the producer of many of these fake brand names, it’s an intellectual property lawyer’s smorgasbord.

In China, Chuck Taylor apparently translates to Monica Sun, who is putting out a high-top shoe suspiciously similar to the Converse All-Star called the "Ball-Star." They also do high fashion, appropriating Italian designers’ Dolce & Gabbana’s famous brand, re-dubbing it Dolce & Banana. We can’t tell if they’re hocking suits or smoothies.

Our favorite, though, is the usurping of one of America’s most famous brands: Starbucks, which in at least one location has become Bucksstar. Hey, at least give them credit for making us laugh.

Photo courtesy Andy54321 via Flickr.