Whereas in earlier years it was chiefly ballpoint pens and rollerballs that were imitated, by 2004 the counterfeiters covered almost the entire range. Affected are Meisterstück ballpoint pens, rollerballs and fountain pens, with ballpoint pens and rollerballs still being copied most frequently, and furthermore Bohème writing instruments, leather goods and accessories as well as Limited Editions, above all from the Anniversary Edition and the Scott Fitzgerald Edition. Watches too, namely the Chronograph and the Dual Time, and older writing instruments of the Monte Rosa series are counterfeited.
Random samples taken in online auctions in 2004 showed that about five to ten per cent of all Montblanc items offered were fakes, although the supply fluctuated considerably. It was striking that copies were offered not only by sellers without feedback ratings, but also by commercial high-volume sellers. For the economy as a whole, the share of counterfeit goods in world trade was estimated at around ten per cent at that time; manufacturers thereby lost an estimated ten to twenty per cent of their turnover, and in Europe alone some 100,000 jobs were lost.