Many companies sell knock-offs of the famous Le Corbusier furniture on EBAY. Most are cheap counterfeits imported from China. Some are made in Europe but cannot be sold there because they violate European copyright laws. Unfortunately the US laws are weaker so the counterfeits come flooding in.
The name "Le Corbusier" is a registered trademark belonging to Cassina of Italy. According to the Le Corbusier Foundation, any furniture being sold under the "Le Corbusier" brand name is counterfeit unless it bears the Cassina logo, serial number and stamped signature of the designer.
This is no different from selling look-alike shoes under the name "Nike" or knock-off watches under the "Rolex" name. The sellers usually claim to match the original design specs (they don't) and provide a certificate of authenticity (phony), but a fake is still a fake. While the authorized manufacturer pays a royalty to the designer's estate and builds a top quality product, the knock-off companies sell cheap imitations for only a little less than the real thing, so they're pocketing more profit.
Knock-offs have no resale value, and are not considered collectable.
Guide created: 09/26/06 (updated 09/21/09)
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