counterfeit

A site called "OnlyFake" is allegedly pumping out incredibly realistic images of fake IDs using artificial intelligence -- and the fakes seem to work.

A camera producing an error when photographers use unofficial third-party batteries isn't anything new. However, reports of possible digital rights management (DRM) being used in Nikon batteries, at least with its new Z8 camera, is worth taking a closer look at.

FeaturePrint is a new artificial intelligence (AI) powered app that developer Alitheon claims is able to see a product and determine if it is faked through just a single iPhone photo.

Amazon and Canon have targeted a large group of "bad actors" that the two companies allege have sold counterfeit camera batteries and chargers to unsuspecting buyers.

Canon has been at war with producers of counterfeit batteries for almost a decade and has announced that it just won a major battle in a targeted settlement with a major shipping and fulfillment company that supplied them to the market.

Amazon and GoPro have announced that the two entities have jointly filed lawsuit against seven individuals and two entities for making and selling counterfeit GoPro camera accessories.

The Swiss camera brand ALPA has won a copyright infringement case in China against counterfeiters who copied the company's designs. In its ruling, the Chinese court acknowledged that ALPA cameras are "objects of applied art" that are worthy of protection.

Canon just scored a major legal win in the battle against counterfeit products. A US District Court has issued a judgement in Canon's favor in a lawsuit against two eBay users who were selling counterfeit Canon batteries online.

A couple of years ago, Canon USA and the National Crime Prevention Council launched a contest called "Stop Fakes" to raise public awareness about the dangers of using counterfeit power accessories. This 26-second video by Anthony Pegg was selected as the winner.

B&H informed customers this week that it recently sold a batch of "subpar" Nikon batteries and is now sending out free replacements. Nikon is now confirmed that the "subpar" batteries were counterfeit and is advising photographers on how to check their own batteries.

Some B&H customers who had recently purchased a Nikon EN-EL15b battery received an unusual email today. The retail giant says it sold a "subpar batch" of the batteries and will be replacing all batteries sold within a certain time frame.

BlackRapid is taking to social media to warn customers about counterfeit hardware being bundled into kits by some retailers. Not only can the hardware put your gear at risk, but any damage that results from using counterfeit gear will not be covered by the warranty on your authentic BlackRapid gear.

It's not just memory cards that are widely counterfeited in the photo industry: there are plenty of fake cameras and lenses floating around as well. Now Canon wants you to know about a quick and easy way to see if your 50mm f/1.8 II lens is a knockoff.

In addition to fake DSLRs and fake memory cards, there are also fake flash units in camera bags around the world. We first shared a look at this issue back in September 2013, but today Canon issued a new warning about counterfeit versions of the Speedlite 600EX-RT, which was introduced in 2012.

This past weekend, we wrote about how one photographer received a counterfeit memory card from eBay and lost a number of important photos when the card got corrupted during the first use. Afterward, we had an interesting email exchange with the eBay seller that shed some new light on this story.

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This isn’t the first time Canon has done this, but once again they’re sending out a PSA in regards to counterfeit gear, most often purchased online. This time, the PSA is in regards to batteries and the above video walks through the real versus the fake by taking a look at the outside, as well as popping it open and taking a look inside.

It’s no surprise that a market as vast and broad as photography is going to have problems with counterfeit gear, but the problem might be more prevalent than you think. According to a recent study commission by Canon, it's estimated that some 18% of consumers have purchased counterfeit goods without knowing it, despite the fact that companies like Canon often try to educate customers about this sort of thing.

Jennifer Greenburg is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Indiana University Northwest. She holds a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from The University of Chicago.

One of the two Canon Speedlite flashes above is fake. Can you tell which one?

About a month ago I walked into the Canon Quick Repair Centre in Shanghai. I had a minor problem with a Canon 580 EX II: the high-speed sync refused to work.

Canon recently launched a new safety initiative aimed at keeping dangerous knock-off gear out of your camera. The tag line for the initiative is "Play it Safe, Power your Canon with Canon Power," and the company is hoping that a mix of warnings and education will do the trick and keep you from buying counterfeit "Canon" batteries and chargers.

Check out the two memory cards above. One of them is a counterfeit card while the other is a genuine one. Can you tell which is which? If you can't, we don't blame you. Japan-based photography enthusiast Damien Douxchamps couldn't either until he popped the fake card into his camera and began shooting. The card felt a bit sluggish, so he ran some tests on his computer. Turned out the 60MB/s card was actually slower than his old 45MB/s card.

While it's not unusual to come across counterfeit memory cards -- it's estimated that 1/3 of "SanDisk"-labeled cards are -- what's a bit concerning is how Douxchamps purchased his: he ordered the cards off Amazon -- cards that were "fulfilled by Amazon."

Joby sent out a press release today warning consumers that there are counterfeit versions of its popular GorillaPod flexible tripod floating around in the wild. While that isn't too newsworthy in itself -- what gear isn't being counterfeited these days? -- it's the juicy details surrounding the release that are quite interesting. Apparently the company directly confronted companies involved in making imitations during Photokina 2012 in Cologne, Germany last month.

If you ever turn to eBay to purchase film, you should purchase from sellers that have both a high …

Photographer Lee Morris recently purchased a Nikon MB-D11 battery grip from Amazon.com for …

One sad truth about the photo industry is that there's a ton of counterfeit products floating around, and unless you buy directly from a reputable source, it can be difficult to know for sure whether you're getting the real thing. Last month we posted on how up to 1/3 of memory cards labeled "SanDisk" are actually counterfeit. Over on Nikon's website, there's a support page that shows photographs of counterfeit Nikon accessories next to genuine ones, with many of them almost indistinguishable from each other. Some of the counterfeit products are so real-looking that the only difference is a slightly different screw, or a slightly brighter logo.

Did you know that a third of the SanDisk memory cards being used on Earth are actually fake? A SanDisk engineer recently shared this startling fact with a reader over at The Online Photographer:

[...] at any given time, approximately a third of the SanDisk memory cards (made by Toshiba) being used out there in the world are counterfeit. As in, not SanDisk memory cards at all—some other kind of cards dressed up as lookalikes.

Thirty percent, was the number quoted. A third, more or less.

To make sure you're getting the real thing, always purchase your memory cards from reputable dealers.

Police in England recently raided a Bowdon house to find 22,000 fake camera cases …

My dad is an avid stamp collector. While he does have some US stamps in his collection, he mainly focuses …