Featured Course

Food Law: Preventing Fakes and Counterfeits

Protection from fake food is increasing in importance on a global scale.

LAW 810Z
, 3 credits, Online Summer Semesters, Tuition: $950/credit hour regardless of residency

LAW 810Z Food Law: Preventing Fakes and Counterfeits provides a unique examination of the issues of fraud around food, focusing particularly on trademark counterfeit and the business and legal issues surrounding it.

The crime of product, or trademark, counterfeiting for food has risen dramatically alongside the increased use of e-commerce. Today, it has become even more challenging to protect a company’s food product and brand.  The use of trademark law, criminal law, administrative law, and contract law is key to protecting a brand’s food product.

While reactive legal responses remain important in the battle against counterfeit food, a proactive approach is necessary. This course identifies the proactive and reactive steps that companies can take to reduce the risk of counterfeit food reaching the shelves of grocery stores and restaurants.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Differentiate various types of counterfeit food
  • Understand the crime of trademark counterfeiting
  • Describe the effects of counterfeiting on the global food industry
  • Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. and international legal frameworks applicable to food counterfeits
  • Explain both the reactive and proactive responses to counterfeiting
  • Outline a risk assessment for food products to prevent counterfeits

Student assessment includes:

  • Discussion boards
  • 2 mid-term exams
  • Final research paper on a topic of interest proposed at the beginning of course

Get to Know your Professor: Kari Kammel

Along with being a new member of the College of Law faculty, Kari is also the Director at MSU’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection where she works on professional training, adult education, program management and design spanning multiple disciplines.  Kari’s interest in the area of the law that deals with the intersection of trademark, business law, and criminal law, as well as others is evident in her work with industry partners and students.

As Assistant Director of Education and Outreach for the A-CAPP Center, Kari enjoys working on the center’s executive education programming, outreach and collaboration on and off-campus, managing the student program, and research on legal issues pertaining to trademark counterfeiting. She is also currently a member of the Academic Specialist Advisory Committee at MSU and a board member of the Capital Area Humane Society.

Prior to coming to MSU, Kari spent a significant time working, traveling, and living in the Middle East, including Egypt, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Libya and Jordan.  She was Deputy Chief of Party at DePaul College of Law’s Iraq office, where she managed rule of law programs; and Deputy Executive Director in the Chicago office.  She is a licensed attorney in Illinois and Michigan with a J.D. from DePaul University, an M.A. in Political Science from the American University in Cairo, and a B.A. from the University of Chicago.

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