India is awash with luxury and lifestyle fakes. Now, brands are fighting back.

Mint

18 hours ago

India's copycat economy is coming under pressure as global brands are starting to fight back. On Tuesday the Delhi High Court revived a long-pending lawsuit by American shoemaker Crocs Inc. against brands such as Bata, Liberty and Relaxo for copying its signature clog shoe design. The case, filed in 2014, had been pending for years before the court revived it this week.
While the Crocs suit targets physical retailers, the copycat challenge for global brands has also moved online. Lookalike products that were once confined to local markets or grey channels are easily available on major e-commerce platforms. Some of these copies fall into the category of 'dupes", which imitate the style of high-end products without logos and often remain in a legal grey zone, but others cross into counterfeiting by replicating trademarks.
Knockoffs are everywhere
Digital marketplaces are flooded with lookalikes. A ₹2-lakh Hermès sandal copy is listed for ₹599 on one platform while replicas of Tory Burch handbags appear on another. Knockoffs of Marc Jacobs sling bags are available, too. You can also buy a replica of an ₹18,000 Labubu doll—created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung—for less than ₹1,000.
Industry executives said this pointed to a growing 'dupe economy" in India, where platforms host products en masse that mimic global designs, while mostly avoiding legal consequences. French brand Longchamp's signature nylon totes have inspired lookalikes at a leading retail chain and Birkenstock-style cork sandals, priced at ₹5,000-8,000, are being sold for as little as ₹1,000 online.
Social media is driving much of this demand, with influencers on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube frequently showcasing budget versions of high-end goods, contributing to the sales growth of lookalike products.
Abhay Gupta, founder of Delhi-based consultancy Luxury Connect, said, 'The explosion of social media platforms and dominant e-commerce sites has made it nearly impossible to track the spread of luxury fakes and dupes. It's threatening the luxury industry's integrity, discouraging genuine buyers, and diluting brand value. We need stricter intellectual property enforcement and strong action against these platforms. A unified industry voice along with platform accountability is crucial."
Second-order effect: Global credibility hit
Gupta said India is becoming an important luxury market and such practices could dilute its global credibility. 'When mass platforms allow lookalikes of Hermès or Coach to flourish, they send a dangerous message—that originality is optional. If India wants to be taken seriously in the luxury ecosystem, we need sharper policing, better consumer awareness, and greater platform responsibility," he said.
According to data available online, more than 64% of the world's fake luxury goods are produced in China. In 2021, counterfeit goods accounted for $467 billion in global trade. In India, a 2023 report by ASSOCHAM said 5% of all luxury apparel sold was counterfeit.
Amazon said last week that its global Counterfeit Crimes Unit has helped secure over $180 million in court-ordered penalties and prosecuted more than 65 individuals worldwide since 2020, including in India.
'That said, people buying fakes were probably never the customers of the original," said Neelesh Hundekari, partner at global consultancy Kearney, who specialises in retail and luxury. 'But if they buy [fakes] out of aspiration, they may become future [genuine] buyers. Most genuine buyers are generally aware of where they can buy originals, but if there aren't enough genuine channels available then these buyers may also end up being cheated."
'Zero tolerance': What platforms said
In mid-June Mint was able to find fakes of several luxury and high-end brands such as Saint Laurent and Tory Burch handbags on Amazon India in mid June. These were priced around ₹7,000—well below the price of the original products.
We sent several queries about this to Amazon on 18 June, to which it said it operates as a third-party marketplace where sellers list and sell products in accordance with applicable laws and selling policies. A spokesperson said, 'We have a zero tolerance policy for counterfeit products and continuously monitor our marketplace. We act quickly to protect customers and brands, including removing counterfeit listings and blocking accounts. We have several brand protection programs under which we collaborate with brands to protect our customers from bad actors attempting to abuse our marketplace." Some listings were removed after we sent the queries, but new ones have since surfaced with slightly altered brand names.
FirstCry, which was advertising fake Labubu dolls through Instagram ads until late last month, did not respond to Mint's queries.The listings were later taken down.
Meesho declined to comment on specific products but said its Project Suraksha initiative has multiple strategies to tackle counterfeits and educate sellers.
A spokesperson for Myntra said the platform ensures only authorised brands are listed, and has strict systems in place to check authenticity. However, it added that design decisions rest with the brands themselves.
Swati Sharma, partner and head of intellectual property at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, said India's laws do provide protection against counterfeit goods and misleading listings, but enforcement remains weak and reactive. 'Products that copy a luxury brand's design or logo qualify as counterfeits," she said.. She added that courts have taken a strict view in such cases, holding marketplaces accountable when they have promoted or enabled the sale of such products and granting remedies including injunctions, raids, seizures and damages.
A glimmer of hope
Despite these challenges, several global luxury brands have secured legal victories in India in recent months. In 2024 the Delhi High Court barred two businessmen from selling fake Louis Vuitton goods through platforms 'Mr. Shoes' and 'Mr. Retail,' ruling they had misused the brand's name. In June, Huda Beauty obtained an injunction against Vision Enterprises, which had imported 28,368 counterfeit cosmetics intercepted at Kolkata Port.
Noida-based intellectual property lawyer Safir Anand of Anand & Anand said influencers who promote lookalike products could also face legal consequences. 'Such practices erode brand value, betray consumer trust, and are not protected under law," he said.
He added that even if influencers don't claim a product is original, promoting it as a cheaper version can still amount to 'passing off" and may thus violate IP laws. 'There's been a big rise in takedown notices," Anand said. 'Luxury brands are stepping up legal action, with quicker trials and stricter enforcement. But tougher penalties—like higher statutory damages and longer jail terms—are still needed to deter offenders and move beyond easy out-of-court settlements."
Mint reached out to the India representatives of Tory Burch, Coach, Gucci India and the Kering group, which owns brands including Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, but hasn't yet received a response.
A global problem
Courts around the world have been hearing cases involving counterfeit and lookalike products as countries including Singapore, the US, and some European Union nations have been cracking down on fakes, lookalikes, and IP infringements regularly. Singapore has strict penalties including jail time and fines. The EU protects logos and product shapes and appearances, and has customs surveillance across member states.
Thanks to these efforts, some brands have scored legal victories in key markets. In the US, Nintendo won a $7 million judgement in March against two Amazon sellers who were found guilty of selling counterfeit figurines it makes under the brand Amiibo.
Crocs won a case in China late 2024 when a court upheld its design patent. The court ordered local shoemakers that had copied its signature clog shape – similar to the case in India – to pay damages.
In February, a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court awarded ₹339 crore to Beverly Hills Polo Club for trademark infringement by Amazon's private label Symbol. However, the order was stayed this week after Amazon appealed. The final hearing is scheduled for October.