In December I posted about some of the weirder instances of brand theft that go on in Kathmandu – when outlets steal the names of well-known brands to sell their wares.

I continue to see fresh examples every day. Some exploit the zeitgeist in a flagrant, cynical manner, like this eaterie. It doesn’t even have an internet cafe and I’m pretty sure Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t branched out into the hospitality industry.

But at least they’ve done their research – they appear to know what Facebook looks like.

Can the same be said for the next outlet, a clothing store in the centre of town?
Someone should tell the owner that the legendary Belgian boy reporter is blonde, not black-haired.
And let’s hope there’s no Afterlife because Hergé will be choking on his celestial waffles if he has clapped his sharp eyes on this sinister rendering of Snowy:

The biggest sin of all, though, is not even using the correct spelling of the brand you are stealing. If lawyers from the pret-a-porter clothing giant Diesel ever get this far into south Asia, they’re more likely to wet their boot-cut jeans laughing than issue a lawsuit. So perhaps the store’s owners are being crafty rather than careless.

Have you spotted any counterfeit concessions, fake franchises, sham shops or bogus boutiques? Tell me about them in the comments section.