Unsafe bootleg condoms, Mexico

[blaccjacc]

Bootlegging reaches new levels in Mexico

Jeremy Schwartz
Cox News Service
May. 27, 2005 12:00 AM

MEXICO CITY - It's easy to get lost at the Tepito marketplace, Mexico's largest collection of pirated goods and illegal merchandise. Semipermanent booths form tight alleyways that stretch for what seems like miles, and thousands of vendors hawk everything from Adidas sneakers to the latest Nicole Kidman thriller The Interpreter.

You can find nearly anything you can imagine in Tepito and at prices that are fractions of the originals: knockoff Calvin Klein jeans, dubbed copies of Eminem's new record, versions of the latest PlayStation 2 videogames, Microsoft Windows and Photoshop software, and DVDs by the thousands, including new releases that haven't left theaters yet.

Mexicans buy more illegal music, software and DVDs than legal versions, according to industry estimates, a trend that has accelerated in recent years with new dubbing technologies. advertisement




The buying and selling of counterfeit goods is a way of life in Mexico City, where an estimated 300,000 residents make their living selling fake and illegal CDs and movies.

But the piracy epidemic reached new heights - even by Mexico City standards - earlier this month when officials warned of bootleg condoms and unlicensed mariachi bands.

The pirated condoms, with names like "El Cameleon" and "Vive," pose an alarming health risk, authorities said, because they haven't undergone testing and aren't certified. They've turned up in massage parlors, nightclubs and even a few pharmacies, according health workers.

The fake mariachis are only slightly less dangerous.

Instead of playing a tune, some of these fake musicians are mugging and pickpocketing tourists, officials say.

[Nicky01]

As for the bootleg condoms, one might think of a nasty ad slogan for these fakers: "Leaky Pipe - Porous Rubber".

[m0nk3yg0d]

Lol, you know the effort some of these bootleggers put into making fake copies ... they could prolly put a little more elbow grease on and actually make a decent comdom.

[monty burns]

as cheap as condoms are, it is pathetic that they will put peoples lives at risk just to make a few pennies

[captain_napalm]

It's even more pathetic that someone would buy one.

I always bring my own. It ain't worth it

[Arecho Monger]

Hey I know Lima Peru Had That Same problem. Probably not bootleg but very very cheap condoms. Usually at the3 low end whorehouses that I gone to all the time but I am Safe Anmd Healthy still.