The sidewalks of lower Manhattan, especially Chinatown, are filled with vendors selling genuine faux Louis Vuitton bags “Ugggs” boots and Ronex watches. One city councilwoman from that neighborhood is so fed up of trying to fight the problem from the supply side that she’s introducing new legislation that would attempt to curb demand by making it illegal to purchase counterfeit merchandise.

According to the NY Post, shoppers caught in the act of purchasing the fake goods could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“We don’t want to be known as the place to come to get counterfeit goods,” said the councilwoman behind the bill. “It’s a very big problem… People are still coming, and the industry is growing, and we have to stop the demand. We need people to know that they are feeding this demand.”

Last year in the UK, Nike sent a clear message to buyers of knockoff sneakers when they threatened lawsuits against customers who had ordered fake Nikes through a website.

Bill would bag phony-purse buyers [NY Post]

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