One of the hazards of innovation is having your great idea stolen. Industry experts unpack the legal protections for designers when copycat products hit the market, the ethical issues at stake, and the far-ranging impact of counterfeits.

If Hans J. Wegner’s Wishbone chair had but one wish, it would likely be to never again be knocked off. The internet is chockablock with faux versions of it and other oft-copied pieces—consider Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost chair (that try as it might, can’t seem to “ghost” copycats) and Eero Saarinen’s Womb chair (which has been birthed, again and again, by counterfeiters). These are only the tip of the iceberg. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 42 shipments of unauthorized replica furniture were apprehended in 2016—enough merchandise that its seizure helped protect more than 8,000 jobs. The number of shipments that squeaked past inspection is anybody’s guess.

Although scoring a bargain on a well-priced fake may feel like a victory in the moment, buying the real thing is more worthwhile in the long run because the value of authentic products often increases over time. “Although consumers think they’re getting a deal, they’re getting something that has almost no value,” says John Edelman, the CEO of Design Within Reach, which sells all three of the aforementioned chairs.