FOUNDER / BOARD DIRECTOR

I am a high school student with a passion for law and intellectual property rights. I believe that creativity must be rewarded to motivate the best minds to create a better future for humanity. Unfortunately, for every new great design, invention or product, there will be countless counterfeits and copycats. Counterfeits pose great risks to human health, environmental safety, human rights and to the legitimate economy. After I realized that schools do not provide enough education on these issues, I made it my goal and mission to bring anti-counterfeiting education to my peers and our teachers. I believe that it should be GenZers educating and empowering GenZers about the danger counterfeits pose to society. This is why I created GenZAgainstFakes!: to have GenZers speak and learn from each others about fakes and their dangers. In cooperation with institutions like INTA, the US Customs and Border Protection, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the EU Patent and Trademark Office and other right holders regional associations like INDICAM, we will make our best efforts to educate my fellow GenZers and to leave in each school and college a seed that will grow into clubs and associations where students will speak to students on the topic through the school year! Only in this way we can really make a difference.

BOARD MEMBER (US East Coast)

My name is John Hodges. I graduated from American University Washington College of Law in May of 2024, and passed the DC bar exam in July 2024., and I am a GenZer!.I became interested in intellectual property, specifically with trademarks when I was told exciting stories about raids conduct against counterfeiters across the globe while I was in high school. Now that I am a young lawyer, I look forward to using my knowledge gained throughout law school, and experience from my clerkship, to help ensure and protect the rights of individuals' intellectual property.   I am excited to be part of GenZagainstFakes because it is a unique club with a unique idea. Exposing the upcoming generation to an issue that might otherwise get overlooked is important. By exposing and educating young people to the problems that come with a market flooded with counterfeit goods, we can help mitigate a problem in a changing world. Talking directly to GenZ can help this serious problem!  

BOARD MEMBER (Legal Advisor)

I have been protecting brands and inventions of US and EU companies for about 30 years against Chinese counterfeiters and infringers. I have been for years on the frontlines of the counterfeiting war together with government enforcement officials, right holders and investigators to uncover infringing organizations and bringing them to justice. In spite of the immense amount of targets raided and sued, counterfeiting cannot be stopped solely by shear law enforcement. We need the end users and the buyers of counterfeit products learn an understand that by buying fakes, they feed the coffers of criminal organizations which then use those money for other illicit trafficking, child labor, terrorism and more, while endangering their health and that of their dear ones. We therefore need to educate both the younger generations and their teachers about those dangers and this is the mission of GenZagainstFakes that I fully support!