Chinese economy was catapulted to a superpower economy thanks to a thriving copy cat and counterfeit industry that the government is aware of but reluctant to clamp down. Arguably, this industry is the force behind rapid chinese industrialization and resultant uprecedented G.D.P. growth that lately has come to define the chinese economy. Without this industry the chinese economy would be about that of Brazil, for example. I can corroborate my argument in the next few paras.

One time I bought a toy for my son at $4 and thought that it was good value for money. After I stepped out of the supermarket I gave it out to him. He was very happy to own a miniature Fork-lift machine. But, no sooner than he put it down and pushed it to drive than collapsed irreparably and beyond salvage. Just like many other chinese products on the market the toy did not have a warranty but, I insisted on taking it back to the supermarket. The management could not replace it. I had lost my money and, there and then, decided to research on the worthiness of chenese products.

In the endeavour to acquaint myself with chinese products I came across many copy cats and counterfeit products that easily pass for original brands to untrained eye. Other products like shoes were of such poor quality they would not last for threee months. Comapare the naming of copy cats below to origial branded products.

Samsuung    to confuse with    Samsung From korea
Nokian        to confuse with    Nokia from Finland
sonny          to confuse with    Sony From Japan
Panasoanic  to confuse with    Panasonic From Japan
iApple         to confuse with    iphone From U.S.
Keweseki    to confuse with    Kawasaki motor bikes of Japan

On the counterfeit side you will find products from china that resemble the original brand strikingly. You would not know until you begin to suspect because of the price at which it is offered. Or a trader may ask if you want an original or a chinese. For example, an original Makita Blower from Makita corporation of Japan would cost around $85. But you could get a chinese counterfeit with a paltry $31.

Counterfeiters are not even afraid to prey on respected chinese brands. As an example I came across a fake Tri-cicle Padlock. Tri-cicle is an established chinese brand.

Counterfeits can be costly in the long run. In the electrical field, products whose quality is suspect must be avoided at all cost. Responsible governments must rein on these fakes because of the danger they pose to the general public. Sadly and unfortunately there are many conterfeits of respected original brands like Crabtree and MEM from Britain. Plugs, water heaters and electrical cables have all been preyed upon. Purity of materials that manufacture electrical products is of utmost importance. If, for example an electrical conductor is made from impure copper it will heat very easily and may ignite fire. From basic physics power increases with resistance. More impurity means more reistance, more power and evetually more heat ! The product line that has been infringed upon is huge and includes CDs, car parts, heavy duty machinery and, yes, you guesed it right, toys !
The list is endless.

Now lets do the Math. Imagine these kind of exports to almost all african countries including eastern europe, latin america and small-economy asian nations where regulation is poor or less stringent. It means sustaining millions of jobs in the country of origin, which is china. I can unreservedly claim that copy cat and counterfeit industry builds chinese G.D.P. massively and has propelled it to a super power economy ! But, is it morally right?

 

Mnj