Knockoff Tech Selling Better Than the Original

An anonymous reader writes to mention an IT Wire story about the industrious Chinese industry centered around reproducing commercial products. These individuals have become so adept at forging based on the original that by the time the developer of the technology comes to market, the 'original' is seen as 'fake' by consumers. Other products, such as shoes, CDs, DVDs, and even expensive cars are available for much lower prices in certain Chinese markets. From the article: "Sell these products do, especially in Asia where the prices are low, few questions are asked and in many cases, the quality is actually pretty good. Samsung is said to have been so concerned by seeing its phones copied on the Chinese market that it tracked the distribution channels back to the source and discovered the electronics guys responsible for copying their latest products. After offering them a job with Samsung and a chance to go legitimate, they are reported to have declined the offer, saying that they were able to make more money by simply continuing in their pirate ways. What Samsung did next is not known."

Comments

Self-Interest in China...

[BoRegardless]

RULES.

China is growing products & services as their engineering graduates do more and more original work, instead of copying.

At some point China will need to enforce copyrights, trademarks and patents so that their local inventive products can be sold on the world market...without copycats in the U.S., EU and elsewhere.

Relevant facts to date:

Right now Assignee companies of U.S. issued patents in China total 2400 or so, which isn't very many, but it is growing.

Almost 7000 U.S. patents have been issued to people residing in China. One can assume far more patents are submitted in China but never have foreign applications.

China graduates more engineers, mathemeticians and scientists every year than the U.S.

Will it go smoothly, soon, or be diligent in giving foreign patent holders the same rights as Chinese patent holders? I doubt it.

Re:What did Samsung do next?

[Tablizer]

Beijing refuses to help. The pirate engineers are rolling in money and hookers.

Even Donald Trump agrees that the Chinese gov't is playing dirty:

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/10/9/23075 5.shtml?s=icp

Why we continue to give away jobs to a big communist cheater and run up a big bubble-risky trade deficit with them, I'll never know.