In trading, how do you know the stuff are knockoffs or fake?

Question

This is for research for my novel. What governmental department deals with that kind of thing: import/export trading? How do you know a fake TV from the real one and so on? Is there any way? (I'm not sure what category this will fall under? If you know, please let me know and I ask it there.)

Answer 1

For imports into the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for monitoring conterfeits entering the country. You'll find a great article on the topic online at the International Business Training website.

Here's a summary of the article:

Welcome to the brave new world where counterfeit products look as genuine as the real ones and customers everywhere are happy to pay bargain prices for branded products. In this article I will address the issues relating to counterfeit products and the driving forces that result in increased competition from knock-offs or counterfeit products. I will also offer recommendations to reduce the impact of counterfeit products on your brand image and intellectual property.