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Canadian IP Lobbyists Caught Faking Counterfeit Data

Posted by Soulskill on from the lies-damned-lies-and-statistics dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Canadian IP Council, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's IP lobby arm, has been caught floating false claims about the scope of counterfeiting in Canada. Recent claims include citing a figure based on numbers the FBI rejects ($22.5 billion), a figure the Canadian police won't support ($30 billion), and when pressed on the issue, it now points to yet another source that upon review indicates it fabricated its claims."

8 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. So if they're faking counterfeit data by jmcbain · · Score: 5, Funny

    then they're making legitimate data? Thanks for the mental exercise on a late Friday afternoon.

    1. Re:So if they're faking counterfeit data by billcopc · · Score: 4, Informative

      Let's put this into perspective:

      There are an estimated 34 million Canadian citizens as of 2011. The fabricated estimates would suggest that, on average, each Canadian is responsible for $660 to $1000 worth of counterfeit goods per year, whether produced locally or imported from overseas.

      Now, I don't know about you, but I personally don't bring back.$1000 worth of cheap chinese gadgets on annual trips, nor do I burn $1000 worth of movies to DVD-R for resale, though the latter was quite popular a few years back, mostly by *drumroll* unemployed immigrants who couldn't care less about copyright. I know, because those parasitic bastards would come to my store every few days for a spindle of my cheapest DVD media. Today it's probably much less popular, given how easy it is to find and download anything, and the ever-increasing broadband penetration.

      So what's left ? Are there massive counterfeiting ops racking up huge volumes, to make up for lack of counterfeiting within the general populace ? Or is the IP Council crying wolf to secure handouts and protectionist legislation ? I'm no expert, but history leads me to believe the latter is the truth.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    2. Re:So if they're faking counterfeit data by OECD · · Score: 4, Funny

      What, you don't expect them to simply copy legitimate data, do you?

      --
      One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.
  2. No Surprise by memojuez · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When has a Corporate Special Interest Group ever told the complete truth?

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    Signature applied for, Patent Pending
    1. Re:No Surprise by Smallpond · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wow. That seems harsh. What would you do to them if they lied?

  3. Cognitive Dissonance by Lieutenant+Buddha · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How is it that these organizations and lobbyists can claim they genuinely feel their profits are being "stolen" when they need to use fabricated data to support their claims? This isn't incompetence, it's sickening greed. The self-interested scumbags who perpetrate this shit and the governments that not only allow but support this should both be fucking shamed.

    --
    "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." ~Friedrich Nietzsche
  4. In other words by lavagolemking · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Lobbyists lie. News at 11. Good that law enforcement is starting to realize it now though. Now if only their laws were looked at with this kind of scrutiny...

  5. Re:counterfeit within a counterfeit by kvvbassboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    We need to go deeper...