Abstract
Product counterfeiting, as an emerging problem, has seen limited scholarly attention. Although there has been an increase in the scholarly work in this area, much more remains to be done. This article is an attempt to address one considerable gap in the product counterfeiting literature – the application of criminological theory. At this time, no research on product counterfeiting has attempted to apply a theoretical perspective to understand the product counterfeiting phenomenon. This article involves a systematic attempt to view product counterfeiting through a routine activities theory lens. More specifically, this is an exercise in applying the theoretical construct of ‘guardianship’ to the study of product counterfeiting. Implications for prevention and policy are discussed.
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Notes
Here, it is important to emphasize the social psychology of guardianship. The idea behind the guardianship concept is that the offender perceives that someone is watching and, therefore, might do something in response to the criminal activity. It is this perception of heightened risk of detection and response that deters the would-be offender not the intervention on the part of the guardian or others. The work of Reynald (2009; 2010) and others discussed above indicates that the most important stages of guardianship in action are the available and monitoring stages. A full review and explanation of this relationship is beyond the scope of the current article. We also do not include CCTV in our discussion here as our focus is on the human dimension of guardianship at this time. CCTV might be included as a technology that could enhance guardianship capacity, but a discussion of CCTV specifically is beyond the reach of this article.
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Hollis, M., Wilson, J. Who are the guardians in product counterfeiting? A theoretical application of routine activities theory. Crime Prev Community Saf 16, 169–188 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/cpcs.2014.6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/cpcs.2014.6