 Law enforcement officials say that the high amount of secrecy has become a drawback, as it leaves the process available to money launderers.According to the FBI and Interpol, “in comparison with other trade sectors, the art market faces a higher risk of exposure to dubious financial practices” because “the volume of legally questionable transactions is noticeably higher than in other global markets.”

Some famous artworks such as the "Mona Lisa" painting are not reproducible (at least in the sense of creating another copy that would be seen as equivalent in value), but there are many cultural goods whose value does not depend on a single, individual copy.Books, recordings, movies get some of their value from the existence of many copies of the original.