Glossary beginning with F

The Glossary provides basic legal and technical definitions for the most common terms related to the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods.

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F

Fake / Forgery

A fake is something that purports to be what it is not. Therefore the essence of a fake is in a manifestation of a misrepresentation, or confusion, over authenticity or authorship. The term forgery is technically restricted to written instruments which are made by someone other than the purported drawer. In many jurisdictions the act of ‘uttering’ a forgery is itself a crime, faking is usually not. An artist, or less salubriously a faker, can produce copies of great artworks quite legally in most art market jurisdictions, but will be committing the crime and civil wrong of fraud if an attempt is subsequently made to profit from selling the item with the misrepresentation that it is not a copy, often through the use of forged documentation.

Source: Trafficking Culture