Thanks to Ningyoushi's Workshop and ShiniGamiSan1 for the store image to the right. Bootleg stores are popping up everywhere, not only in Asia, but on street corners, webpages and shops all around the world.

Many of these stores are shamelessly trying to pass of counterfeit merchandise as the real thing.

So how can you know when you are buying a genuine Michael Lau item? Please read below to find out the clues.

Most vendors will try and sell bootleg Michael Lau items bagged and without boxes. They often have a story to try and pass of the merchandise. Excuses like this have been heard at stores and conventions:

"I have a contact that works at the company that makes the figures."

"These figures are made from the same mold that Michael Lau uses, but are at a fraction of the price because they don't have boxes."

These are all lies! All Michael Lau work has been boxed and bagged. To the right is a plastic sack filled with bootleg Crazychildren.

The paint on bootleg figures is also very cheap and details can flake off. There are noticeable seams where a paint applicator has missed a detail on most bootlegs.

Just compare the real Littlewest on the far left to the bootleg on the immediate left. You should be able to spot a number of problems with the counterfeit version.

For example, all Michael Lau figures are pre-bagged and come in boxes. Some bootleggers are now making boxes that are of the same sturdy cardboard in Michael's work with similar graphics on the outside.

A person trying to pass off a "Limited Edition" Purple Devilman with a purple and black box would be lying.

If you are not sure whether you are looking at a genuine Michael figure or a bootleg just use these pages as reference. You may also visit other popular sites like Gardenercrazys or respectable sellers like maharishi or Ningyoushi's Workshop to look at genuine figures and colors.

To the far left is a box for the Lazy Tatto figure from the PARCO Gardenergala Japanese exhibit. The companies that helped pick up the cost of the figure production are clearly listed on the face of the box. These include PARCO, viewsic and Bandai, yes "that" Bandai helped produce the figures.

Immediate left is a box from the Maharishi NY Fat figure. On the back of the box the production names read maharishi and crazysmiles co.

The information on the boxes vary from figure to figure. Copyright notice is located on all of Michael's work. Additional information depend on the figure and exhibition. For example, the figures produced for the Japanese Gardener exhibition also had production information and important telephone numbers on the bottom. The text on the NY Fat box reads like Crylon spray can information.

Underneath the shoes of figures produced for the Japanese Gardenergala exhibitions it clearly reads Bandai 2001 Japan on one shoe, and © 2000 Michael Lau / Master Licensor SMETV inc. on the other.

There is a maharishi notice under the shoe NY Fat figure and a crazysmiles co. © notice on the other shoe.

Bootleg figures will sometimes have a false copyright notice, name of the figure or number printed under their shoe. Steer clear of these figures.

Physical stores with good reputations and ties with Michael, such as maharishi in London are other good places to shop. Online stores like DP-MHI from maharishi and Ningyoushi's Workshop are also reputable sellers.

You must be careful when dealing with online auctions from eBay or Yahoo. Many items being listed as Michael Lau are in fact from different artists. As always do your homework on the figures you are seeking, request pictures from multiple angles and be prepared to shell out some money for the real thing.

This is not a knock against eBay. My collection grew thanks to the online auction house. However as Michael's name grew it became harder and harder to bid against other collectors, or spot the occasional bootleg from the pictures. So be careful if you decide to deal with online auctions instead of buy from a store.

Many figures are turning up on the online market, mislabeled as Michael Lau creations. Below are some figures and designs that have been labeled so. Depending on your opinion they can either be called inspired pieces or intellectual property theft.

I think Brian and Tattoo are great figures as both 12" Gardeners and 6" vinyl. I think Jordon, seen right, is an exceptional piece in the Gardenergala world. Look at the detail in his clothes, basketball and bottle of Gatorade. Yes he is taller than most every other figure in the series.

12.5" is the average height for Gardener figures. But some like the graffiti artists like NY Thin are shorter kids and therefore under 11". Jordon is a tall, skinny basketball player and he is in the 15"+ range. If I had my druthers (and huge disposable income) I'd commission a Jordon. But since I am of meager needs I got the next best thing.

Dragon Models of Hong Kong, makers of almost every memorable movie 12" figure, from Indiana Jones to the Terminator, has created a series of NBA-inspired basketball players. One can't help but thank the seeming lack of copyright laws in Hong Kong. There are five Super-X players in all, each player comes with a change of street clothes and a basketball.

On the right are the other four Super-X figures in street clothes. Clockwise from top left: #3 (Allen Iverson), #8 (Kobe Bryant), #34 (Shaquille O'Neil) and #15 (Vince Carter)

More than just a resemblance? I'll let you decide.