One of the biggest problems facing retailers and consumers of smoking consumption devices is the prevalence of counterfeit glass water pipes and smoking pipes. The Chinese factories have gotten very good at making products that look like the originals, complete with fake decals. Of course, these reproductions never have the same quality of glass or beading, and they are pale imitations.
They are also illegal. Which is why Roor, the high end German maker of glass water pipes, has decided to file lawsuits in Florida, California and New York. Citing U.S. Trademark No. 3675839, protecting "SMOKER'S ARTICLES, NAMELY, GLASS PIPES, BONGS, WATER PIPES, (and) WATER PIPES OF GLASS," the company is going after a number of head shop that sell their wares.
Of course, it is the manufacturers and wholesalers of these fake bongs who are the root of the problem as many head shop owners are themselves fooled by the knockoffs. That said, if you come across a Roor product with a price that seems to good to be true, chances are it's a fake.
And Roor is not the only high end water pipe maker to face the issue of counterfeiting. Illadelph devotes an entire page of its web site with helpful information that tells consumers what to look for in an authentic piece of Illadelh glass. The company has even gone so far as adding a QR code on their boxes to combat the fakery. Other companies that are regularly knocked off include Hitman Glass and Toro.
For our part we at SmokeSmith have a rigorous quality and assurance procedure to ensure that none of the products we sell are counterfeit. We believe these fake products are hurting the authentic manufacturers and we are committed to fighting the proliferation of fake pipes. Copyright violation is a serious crime. So please do not be fooled by cheap knock offs.