This is the real thing!  I've bought other transparent "duct tapes" before, but they were simply heavy transparent tapes.  This is what it says: TOUGH!  I've used it in exactly the same way as regular duct tape and it holds beautifully.  It can be seen, but it is so much less obvious that it suits my needs perfectly--to hold things still and securely and not be an ugly, stick out color that looks just awful with the surroundings.  One application is that I'm using it to hold a little throw rug in place to keep my cats from digging at the carpet underneath it.  It works.  It's as if they've forgotten about where they used to scratch at the spot, and they are leaving the throw rug alone while it's held securely, almost invisibly in place.  It sure looks better than that hole they were scratching in the carpet, thanks to this transparent duct tape.