The long arm of the law in New York state did more than slap the wrists of eight merchants accused of selling counterfeit LiveStrong rubber wristbands.
After being hauled into court, the eight chose to donate $500 each to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, avoiding fines of up to $1,000 each in the consumer fraud cases.
That windfall is tiny, however, compared to the $900,000 brought in over the weekend by Lance Armstrong's appearance on the Oprah show. During an interview with Lance, the TV show host had issued a challenge for viewers to break the previous one-day record of 382,000 $1 wristbands sold, according to the LAF website. In all, some 33 million wristbands have been sold.
That amount doesn't include the unknown number of knock-offs that are being sold, with no money going to LAF. The internet is rife with websites peddling so-called authentic LiveStrong bracelets.
One website, which promises it bought its bracelets through LAF, is selling them for $5 each. I know LAF has a waiting list for wristband mailings, but a $4 markup on a $1 item sounds like price-gouging to me.
Another website displays LiveStrong bracelets in various colors and offers to deboss any message in any color on orders of 1,000 to 50,000. This website, based in the US, also has a sub-domain where you can buy “exceptional live snakes”.
Another promoter promises he has “contacts” at the factories where the LiveStrong bracelets are made, and the bands he sells “are the real thing.” The site also has a helpful color chart showing color selections for wristbands and the causes they represent.
Where do you buy authentic LiveStrong wristbands? There's the LAF web store listed here. Also, the LAF has made the wristbands available through the following retail outlets: Build-a-Bear stores, Discovery Channel stores, Niketown, Nike Outlet, Nikewoman, and United Grocery Stores in Texas.
Further, here's a press release from Westchester County, NY, comparing photos of authentic and fake LiveStrong bracelets and a statement from LAF.
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