I must be easily amused, but I get a kick out of things like a list of “notorious markets” for counterfeit or pirated products.  I guess I like to know where all the sleazy deals go down.  This is why I read things like the 2010 Special 301 Report issued by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.  Fascinating stuff abounds, but the entertainment begins on page 43.  Here’s where USTR describes its 19 most notorious markets.  You, too, can know where to get your cheap knock-offs!

USTR starts with the most notorious on-line sources.  Their top three are Baidu, Chinese B2B and B2C websites, and something called TV Ants.  All are Chinese.  Baidu was cited for pirated music, the B2B/B2C sites (like Alibaba and TaoBao) for game copiers, and TV Ants for pirated sporting events.  The report cites Russia for clones of a now-closed site called allofmp3.com with all sorts of copyright violations.  And South Korea gets into the on-line counterfeit game with webhards, on-line storage that is sometimes used to distribute copyrighted materials illegally.

The hot stuff is behind the tarp (photo: Christian Frausto Bernal)

I was more interested in the physical markets, having spent time over the years in places where you could buy a pair of jeans and be asked which label you would like on them.  I used to have a fake Members Only jacket (remember those?) and everybody who lived in Asia has bought at least one fake Rolex.  So where is the action today?

• Bahia Market (Guayaquil, Ecuador)

• China Small Commodities Market (Yiwu, China)

• Greenhills, Quiapo, Binondo, Makati Cinema Square, and 168 Mall (Manila, Philippines)

• Gorbushka and Rubin Trade Center and Savelovskiy Market (Moscow, Russia)

• Harco Glodok (Jakarta, Indonesia)

• La Salada (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

• Lowu Market (Shenzhen, China)

• Nehru Place and Palika Bazaar in New Delhi, Richie Street and Burma Bazaar in Chennai, Manish Market, Heera Panna, Lamington Road, and the Fort District in Mumbai, and Chandni Chowk in Kolkata (India)

• Panthip Plaza, the Klong Thom, Saphan Lek and Baan Mor shopping areas, the Patpong and Silom shopping areas, the Mah Boon Krong (MBK) Center, and the Sukhumvit Road area (Bangkok, Thailand)

• Petrivka Market (Kyiv, Ukraine)

• San Andresitos (Colombia)

• Silk Market (Beijing, China)

• Tepito, Plaza Meave, Eje Central, Lomas Verdes, and Pericoapa Bazaar (Mexico City, Mexico); San Juan de Dios (Guadalajara, Mexico); Simitrio-La Cuchilla (Puebla, Mexico); and Pulgas (Monterrey, Mexico)

• Tri-Border Region (Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil).

When do you think Abercrombie & Kent will organize counterfeit tours?