Impact of brand piracy on rural markets

Brand Piracy or fake branding nowadays is creating hurdles to the original brands. The fake brands are gaining the advantage in terms of sales on the base of the reputation of the original brands. Especially in emerging economies and developing countries the fake brands are spreading very fast with successful tapping of the rural market. Especially the rural India is witnessing the flow of fake brands and it is continuously evolving its implications on the original brands. The goodwill of the original brands has been misused for gaining the sales of fake brands. In view of these issues, the paper will focus on investigating the fake branding and its impact on new companies, original brand owning companies and customers. The study further analyzes the factors influencing the entry of fake brands and its implications on the original brands and as well as to the economy. The study will also examine the perceptions of the customers on fake brands. The study is based on field investigation and as well as on secondary data sources.