Imitation Nation

The big news in drug counterfeiting this week is a massive civil lawsuit brought by Gilead Sciences. Plus! Counterfeit sinks! And Counterfeit-Drug Christmas, also known as Operation Pangea. Check out the audio podcast here!

The big news in drug counterfeiting this week is a massive civil lawsuit brought by Gilead Sciences . Plus! Counterfeit sinks! And Counterfeit-Drug Christmas, also known as Operation Pangea. Check out the video podcast here!

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about counterfeit-drug literacy; some highly questionable substances found in counterfeit perfumes; an art forgery conviction covering fake work from Picasso, Warhol, and Banksy; and a genius in New Jersey who tried to sell counterfeit Airpods to the officers who pulled him over for a traffic infraction. This is the audio version of Eps 30.

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about counterfeit-drug literacy; some highly questionable substances found in counterfeit perfumes; an art forgery conviction covering fake work from Picasso, Warhol, and Banksy; and a genius in New Jersey who tried to sell counterfeit Airpods to the officers who pulled him over for a traffic infraction. This is the video version of Eps 30.

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about a seizure of illegal peptides in Cincinnati, an exciting new low-cost counterfeit-drug detector, a counterfeit currency "bill-washing" scheme, and some serious legal setbacks for Meta.

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about a seizure of illegal peptides in Cincinnati, an exciting new low-cost counterfeit-drug detector, a counterfeit currency "bill-washing" scheme, and some serious legal setbacks for Meta. This is the video version of Eps 29.

Today's brand new episode of the Imitation Nation Podcast is live! Episode #28! Topics in this episode include a guy who bought a $6 million dollar house with the profits from counterfeit stamps, the annual Notorious Markets Report, a man who tried to pay his court bond in counterfeit currency, Europol's latest Operation Shield, the sentencing of two co-conspirators for selling fake HIV medication...

It's time for Shabbir and Sven to break down this week in counterfeit news! Topics in this episode include a guy who bought a $6 million dollar house with the profits from counterfeit stamps, the annual Notorious Markets Report, a man who tried to pay his court bond in counterfeit currency, Europol's latest Operation Shield, the sentencing of two co-conspirators for selling fake HIV medications, a...

In this week's Counterfeit News, Imitation Nation talks about a farm in Pennsylvania producing counterfeit meat; a patent infringement lawsuit between two huge players in the pharma space; the DEA takedown of over 200 illegal online pharmacies; and a breakthrough to print QR codes on live bacteria. We also continue our newfound embrace of video, so you can watch the conversation unfold! Check out...

In this episode, Imitation Nation talks to Travis Johnson from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and he'll tell us exactly what he thinks Congress needs to do this year to help keep Americans safe. This is also our first foray into video podcasting, so you can put names to faces!

In this week's Counterfeit News, Imitation Nation talks about a farm in Pennsylvania producing counterfeit meat; a patent infringement lawsuit between two huge players in the pharma space; the DEA takedown of over 200 illegal online pharmacies; and a breakthrough to print QR codes on live bacteria. Check out this week's episode!

In this episode, Imitation Nation talks to Travis Johnson from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and he'll tell us exactly what he thinks Congress needs to do this year to help keep Americans safe.

In this episode we interview our friends at the American Apparel and Footwear Association: Jen Hanks, Senior Director, Brand Protection Conor O'Brien, Sustainability Product Specialist Sven and I talk with them about their new report on the hazardous chemicals they found in fake products, and the larger problem of counterfeits that pose a hazard to your health.  Read the report , as well as their...

In the first guest episode of Imitation Nation, we welcome Stephan von Schilcher of NovaVision, a second-generation brand protection expert who grew up around holograms, covert inks, and counterfeit detection and made it his career.  Stephan has worked as a global career spanning woven security labels, RFID deployment, holograms, tamper-evident tape, cargo seals, and online brand protection.  From...

In this episode, we cover: The Korean Customs Service did a special inspection surge of counterfeit products leading up to America’s Black Friday and China’s Double 11 shopping days. Along with seizing over 600,000 counterfeit items, they did materials analysis on 250 of them, including jewelry that had heavy metals at over 5,000 times the limits for safety. They also found fake Labubu dolls with...

This week, the world of counterfeits and illicit trade delivered some wild twists, from fake golf grips and forged marathon bibs to a major policy earthquake out of Europe. Here are our headlines:  A Florida man pleaded guilty to trafficking counterfeit golf club grips that copied the Scotty Cameron brand, earning $170K from online sales between 2020–2024 and now facing up to 10 years in prison pl...

Senior Trade and Policy Analyst Piotr Stryszowski at the OECD published a piece this week in advance of the holidays called “The real cost of counterfeits is higher than you think,” about how the real cost of counterfeits isn’t just poor quality, but toxic materials and health consequences. OECD reports that counterfeit trade hit nearly $470 billion - that’s 2.3% of global trade. And it’s no longe...

Nightline  aired a special investigative report “The Dark Shot” on the rise in fake Ozempic with Special Agent Nicole Johnson of Homeland Security Investigations. The reporters found fake Ozempic with no prescription needed available online. They also went to the Port of Cincinnati where they watched them open some Spanish labeled Ozempic that’s not safe for Americans and unable to determine if it...

In this episode, we cover: Fedex announced to analysts that the tariff chaos will hit their finances to a total tune of a billion dollars . $300mm of that is due to costs associated with clearing goods through customs, which has suddenly become infinitely more complex. Despite that, revenue they said will grow 4-6% this year, indicating that a massive fall off in shipping is not anticipated. For c...

Show notes - Imitation Nation #18 In this episode, we cover: The International Trademark Association published a quick 14 page handout on making the case for Return on Investment for your company’s anticounterfeiting program . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last week announced...

In this episode, we cover: Interview with Amazon CCU   Counterfeit Lamborghini Drinks  Researchers develop new sensor to ‘detect counterfeit medicine’  32,000 pounds of meat products recalled due to false USDA inspection marks.  Counterfeit perfume on Walmart’s platform. Attorney General Nessel Announces Felony Charges Following FORCE Team Counterfeit Product Seizures If you have a story you want...

On this week’s episode of Imitation Nation, we discuss one of the biggest trade policy shifts in years: the end of De Minimis, which officially expired at midnight through an Executive Order . This sudden end to a decades old policy is sending ripple effects through supply chains, as freight companies , freight forwarders and Post Offices across the globe are temporarily suspending or stopping shi...

In this episode of Imitation Nation, hosts Shabbir Imber Safdar and Sven Bergmann break down one of the biggest trade shifts of 2025: the  imminent and likely permanent end of the de minimis . With more than 1.3 billion packages entering the U.S. last year under this exemption, it’s about to get a lot harder for counterfeit goods to hide in the pile.  But what does this change mean for brands, shi...

This White House has made big changes to De Minimis: For a look at the scale of packages, check out this  CBS News piece . We cover the impact on counterfeit medicines, especially fake fentanyl pills, and techniques that companies might start to use to circumvent tariff uncertainty. The Trump trademark owners have complained about ecommerce platforms selling counterfeit versions of Trump-branded p...

Operation Pangea 17  from Interpol was released. See this fancy graphic. Sven looked back at the previous 10 years of Operation Pangea and these results are record breaking by any measure. 50.4 million doses of illicit pharmaceuticals worth USD 65 million. The largest operation to date had been $11 million in illicit medicines. Arrest of 769 suspects and the dismantling of 123 criminal groups worl...