Real/Fake: You have the choice!

Downloads: press release (French, English), ad (French, English), short movies (Ovide lo Castro (English subtitles), Justine Schaller (English subtitles), Joël Passieux (English subtitles), Melchior Burnat (English Subtitles), Sylvain Metz (English subtitles)

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie is stepping up its fight against counterfeiting. After organising Take a true look at fakes, a short-film competition for the public and students at Lausanne University of Art and Design, the Foundation is now airing a selection of the competing films.

As we gear up for summer travel, counterfeiters are rubbing their hands, confident that many tourists will return home proudly sporting the fake watch they could never otherwise have afforded. Provided, that is, they make it through Customs. Flirting with risk is a game they're willing to play in exchange for what they see as their reward.

In reality, though, counterfeiting is anything but a game:

with revenues in excess of US$ 400 billion, counterfeiting siphons off 7% of world trade;
more than 40 million fake watches are sold each year, compared with the 26 million genuine
watches made in 2010; this equals a net profit of US$1 billion for counterfeiters;
counterfeiting, which incurs fewer sanctions than drug trafficking, is a highly lucrative activity
for criminal organisations.

When an end customer buys a counterfeit watch, they become an accomplice to child labour, oney laundering, job losses and intellectual property theft, all of which benefit organised crime. As part of its mission, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) has made the fight against fakes a priority objective by supporting action in the markets by fine watch brands. In 2009, the Foundation launched Fake Watches are for Fake People, a major public information campaign that appeared in 120 media in 24 countries. Now a new campaign is asking: Real/Fake: You have the choice! – Don't be a partner in crime.

To extend the scope of its action, the FHH also launched a short-film competition for the general public and 1st year students in visual communication at Lausanne University of Art and Design (ECAL) on the theme, Take a true look at fakes. Out of all the entries, some thirty "infomercials" and short films – cartoons, fictions and montages – were selected to be shown in Switzerland and internationally.

When young people talk to other young people about counterfeiting, the message hits home!
Buying fakes is no longer a game… Don't be partners in crime!

COUNTERFEITING

Statistics:

7% of world trade
40 million fake watches are made each year, compared with 26 million genuine Swiss watches
US$ 500 billion in revenues

Crimes:

Intellectual property theft
Damage to brand identity
Funding organised crime (drug trafficking, money laundering, child labour, etc.)

Risks to consumers:

Fines
Civil and criminal charges
Health hazards

Solutions:

Only buy from official retailers and distributors
When buying online, always check the seller's identity
Demand the product's authenticity certificate

ECAL

The Ecole Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne provides teaching in visual communication, industrial design, the visual arts and product design. http://www.ecal.ch

FEDERATION OF THE SWISS WATCH INDUSTRY (FH)

Headquartered in Bienne, the FH is the Swiss watch industry's leading trade association. It is a private structure with more than 500 members, which is more than 90% of manufacturers in the Swiss watch industry (watches, clocks, movement, components, etc.). Among its many missions, the FH contributes to the protection and development of Switzerland's watch industry. http://www.fhs.ch

FONDATION DE LA HAUTE HORLOGERIE

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) exists to spread the culture and expertise of Fine Watchmaking worldwide. Creativity, culture, innovation and tradition are the values which the Foundation fosters and promotes through training and information. The FHH's partners include 28 watch brands alongside institutions and museums.