As reported in The Australian and Wall Street Journal Feb 20, “Liberty Flights Ltd., a British maker of electronic cigarettes, is facing a problem more associated with handbags than with nicotine vaporizers: counterfeiting.”

Imitation versions of Liberty Flights’ electronic cigarette products have started appearing in several markets around the world. The cloned e-cigarettes use cheaper and unsafe materials and are sold at prices well below normal market rates.

“We’ve got a brand, we’re well-known,” said Matthew Moden, who founded Darwen, England-based Liberty Flights in 2009 and operates vape stores across the U.K. and ships to the rest of the world.

Experts expect illicit trade in electronic cigarettes (e-cigs or personal vapourisers) will increase as demand grows.