Musée de la Contrefaçon, Counterfeiting museum in the 16th arrondissement, Paris, France
The Musée de la Contrefaçon is a museum in Paris's 16th arrondissement dedicated to examining counterfeit goods. It displays over 350 items where authentic products are shown directly alongside their fake versions to highlight the differences between them.
The Union des Fabricants, founded in 1872 to protect intellectual property, bought the Hôtel Seton-Porter in 1950 through Gaston-Louis Vuitton, a friend of the owner. The mansion was built in 1899 by the architect Henry in the Louis XV style. The museum opened there in 1951, and the building was listed as a monument historique on 3 August 1976.
The museum displays counterfeits across everyday product categories, showing how forgeries infiltrate different sectors of consumer life. Visitors can observe the visual and material differences that make original items distinct from their fake versions.
The museum is at 16 rue de la Faisanderie in the 16th arrondissement, near the Porte Dauphine and Avenue Foch metro and RER stations. Individual visitors are received weekday afternoons; groups come in the morning by reservation. To get in, simply ring the bell.
The museum holds what is likely the oldest known example of counterfeiting: amphora stoppers from the Gallo-Roman period. Because buying counterfeits is illegal even for a museum, most contemporary objects on display come from customs seizures.
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