"Liability for the sale of counterfeit items can extend to the sale
of a single good.150 Infringement is not limited to large-scale operations.
Manufacturers of replica products have another way to infiltrate
the marketplace. Replica goods are also sold on a smaller
scale, including by individuals and small businesses, such as private
“purse parties” or other similar events where individuals sell replica
products within their communities for income. This type of sponsored
social event will further lessen the stigma associated with selling
and purchasing counterfeit products. The transaction occurs in
someone’s home and typically originates with a friend or acquaintance.
These products are generally promoted as “inspired by,”
“imitation,” or “replica,” anything but “counterfeit.”151 Little do
they realize, under the Lanham Act, the host of such a party is liable
for selling counterfeit merchandise.152 Of course, due to the difficulties
in identifying these events, the cost of enforcement actions
and perhaps the negative public image of shutting down social
events, trademark owners rarely go after such small scale operations.
There are few statistics on the enforcement actions against
conduct such as purse parties. Nonetheless, it has been reported
that individuals have been charged with criminal penalties for hosting
such events.153"

"In a best case scenario, the whole mentality that replica counterfeits
are a harmless hobby will become extinct. Whether purse
parties, street vendors, or tourists traveling to the major cities to
buy these goods, often all invoking the wishful thinking folklore
that replica counterfeits are somehow legitimate or permitted, or
even in the brand owners worst nightmare, that replicas are just
wholesale cost versions of the name brand item (forgetting about
the price spread between the $35.00 counterfeit and the $2000.00
original). Hope springs eternal. A successful informational attack
on online retailers and consumers regarding the ethical and legal
implications of replica goods is necessary in order to make some
headway in enforcement. From a strictly legal standpoint, although
it is highly desirable to amend the statute to expressly include replicas
in the counterfeit definition, it is not necessary because counterfeits
by any name are still illegal. Trademark owners must be
proactive and search for alternative ways to enforce their intellectual
property rights, including holding third parties liable for
infringement."