It is no surprise to anyone that China is the world’s number one producer of counterfeit products and anything that can be faked will be faked if a profit can be made. Not only are counterfeit designer goods an issue but also art – from antiques to contemporary art.

At this time, victims of forgeries have no legal protection because the Chinese auction houses (all government run) are exempt from any liabilities by Auction Law of the People’s Republic of China’s article 61. The article states that as long as the auction houses establish that they cannot guarantee the work’s authenticity before the sale then they are in the clear.

This attitude towards counterfeit items is not the best approach so the Chinese government is working to improve their art’s reputation on the international art market by establishing a database to monitor the fakes. Hopefully with the new database, it will help to alleviate concerns from the buyer as well as improve China’s art market. While the task will be extremely challenging, the new database will not only protect buyers but also artists against their works being illegally forged.