Obama administration officials have launched an ad campaign across web, television and radio to discourage consumers from buying counterfeit goods.
The advertisements, run by the National Crime Prevention Council in collaboration with the CauseWay Agency, are based on research that found that 80 percent of Americans would knowingly buy counterfeit or pirated products. The research found that 60 percent think law enforcement wouldn’t catch them.
One of the ads, shot with assistance from MTV and unveiled to reporters and interested parties at an event at the White House on Tuesday, suggests buying a DVD on a street corner can fuel violent gangs and support child labor.
“Recent technological advances – particularly in methods of manufacturing and distribution – have created new opportunities for businesses of all sizes to innovate and grow,” Attorney General Eric Holder said at the event. “But these quantum leaps have also created new vulnerabilities, which tech-savvy criminals are eager to exploit. As a result, we’re seeing an alarming rise in IP crimes – illegal activities that can not only devastate individual lives and legitimate businesses, but undermine our nation’s financial stability and prosperity.”
The print advertisements affiliated with the campaign are embedded below:
