While there has always been a high level of interest in celebrities, it would be fair to say that the internet in celebrity culture is higher today than it has ever been. People love celebrities and thanks to the internet, they are closer to them than ever before. You would think that having access to an artist’s website and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook would be enough for most people, and for many it is, but there are people who want more and more from their favourite people. You may not think that the Trading Standards investigation team would need to become involved when it comes to people wanting to be closer to their favourite stars but in the case of Katherine Jenkins, it appears that she has had to seek official assistance.
The classical singer has a huge following and there is no denying that in addition to her tremendous singing talent, she is an attractive young lady, which means that she has an army of fans following her for a number of reasons. This means that Jenkins has managed to make a great number of sales and people are keen to snap up any sort product that she has available to her. As you can imagine, signed photographs of Jenkins have been in great demand and where there is demand, there is always someone or some firm willing to step in and take advantage of this demand. It transpires that Katherine and her management team have been alerted to a high level of autographed images being sold, which have turned out to be fake.
Jenkins Engaged her Fans on Twitter
This led to Jenkins calling in Trading Standards while she has also warned her fans to not buy these images which appear to have her signature scrawled upon them. It can be all too easy in the modern digital age to provide replicas of an original product or even a signature but when these items are being sold as genuine products, there is an issue.
Jenkins sent out a Twitter message to her fans, saying; “Want to warn you that autographed music photos are selling “authentic” photos signed by me. I did not sign these and we’re reporting them to trading standards.”
Company Denied any Wrong doing
The complaint has been made against a firm called Autographed Music Photos, which is based in Maldon in Essex. The firm states that they are “the UK’s largest signed music memorabilia specialist,” and that they only sell items that are genuine. The site claims that they manage to obtain their images through a connection who is well established in the music industry and that all of the products they sell are supplied with a certificate of authentication as well as coming with a 100% lifetime guarantee.
The company issued a statement, saying; “We deny that they are false. The person that supplied us is very reliable. I’ve got in contact with them and I’m waiting to here back. Katherine didn’t contact us at all, if we had heard from her management we would have complied with them straight away.”
After Jenkins released her statement, the firm removed the images of her and the related product from their site and since then, the company has now removed their Twitter account. While this won’t be of any benefit with respect to an investigation being carried out, it is a sign that perhaps the company is not as confident about their product as they were when they released a statement. There is no doubt that knowingly selling something which is fake while claiming it is genuine, and charging a much higher price, is something that will interest the Trading Standards and it could lead to serious pro0blems for the parties involved.
There will always be a high level of demand for products from an artist like Katherine Jenkins and just because there is a shortfall in supply of these products doesn’t mean that there is an opportunity for firms to step in with fake products.
This is something that Trading Standards are taking an increasing level of interest in and anyone that is facing charges of this nature would be well advised to seek professional assistance. Being able to call on the most effective Trading Standards solicitors in London could make all the difference in defending yourself.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 9 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.
