This book is a collection of the original contributions, presented at the international workshop on The Economics of Copying and Counterfeiting held by ICARE, the International Center for Art Economics of the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, on December 3-4th 1998.
The contributions are aimed at an extensive analysis of the economics of artistic fakes from the point of view of economists, sociologists and law experts. Some are in the nature of surveys, others are aimed at building models of market behaviour while others are case studies.
A cultural history of copies and forgery can be seen as part of the history of taste. It enables us to perceive the evolution of the copy and forgery market along with that of the artistic market as a whole.
The economics of art fakes has been analysed here focusing on four different aspects: theory and history, market and pricing, law enforcement and market regulation.

Gianfranco Mossetto, professor of Public Finance at the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, has been holding the first Italian chair of Cultural Economics since 1993. He is chairman of the International Center for Art Economics (ICARE) of the University of Venice, which he founded in 1991. He also co-founded the graduation program on Economics and Management of the Arts and Culture (EGART) at the University of Venice.
He is the author of: Museo contro museo (with P. Valentino, 2002), Economia del patrimonio monumentale (with M. Vecco, 2001), Aesthetics and Economics (1993), Italiani senza rendità (1993), L'economia delle città d'arte (1992), Economia del benessere e democrazia (1972).

Marilena Vecco is head of research for the International Center for Art Economics (ICARE). She lecturer in Cultural Economics at the graduation program on Economics and Management of Tourist Services (EGeST) and Social History of Art at EGART, University Ca’ Foscari of Venice.
She is author of: Biennale di Venezia-Documenta Kassel (2001).