<Author>Michael</Author>
<Topic></Topic>
<Nationality>USA</Nationality>
Today, there are many fake commodities in society. Examples include simulated name brands, pirated software for computers, music and video tapes, CDs, or DVDs and even counterfeit money. As products become more and more available globally, it is more and more difficult to police them to be sure that they are the genuine items. Also, many people do not care if a famous watch name is on the watch whether the watch itself is genuine or not if they can buy it at a much lower price. More and more students throughout the world are substituting commercially produced papers developed by others as their own work.
Fake commodities may be dangerous in terms of safety, since people may believe that these products are genuine and therefore guaranteed to be safe. If we receive counterfeit money, as has happened to me both in Poland and China, we lose whatever the stated value of the money is. Intellectual property rights are a growing concern in many countries, and there are many violations of copyrights and patents. Such occurrences mean that those who produce the original products are not receiving a just compensation for their labor. Students who cheat on assignments by providing the work of others as their own, not only cheat their teachers, their classmates, and their families; but also themselves and possibly also their reputations.
What can be done about overcoming these problems? Individual integrity, the elimination of corruption at all levels of society, and a greater societal sense of responsibility is a first step. Other steps include rewarding those who remain honest and punishing those who are guilty of providing the false commodities. The level of punishment, depends of course on the seriousness of the production and distribution of the false commodities.