Chinese Counterfeits

[GeneChing]

Given China's rise as global power, I've been wondering when copyright issues would rear up again.

Feds bust counterfeit goods pipeline to S.F. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/04/MNCL1EODKT.DTL)
Will Kane, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 4, 2010

(08-03) 18:47 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Yarin Molad, the owner of Traveler Photo and Electronics in bustling Fisherman's Wharf, said he had known for years that the purses, shoes and sunglasses sold to tourists in the store next to his were not really made by big-name companies like Louis Vuitton or Dolce & Gabbana.

The products, he said, had the same logo and fabric patterns as the famed brands but lacked the three-figure prices. The store was difficult to compete with, and cast a light of suspicion on its neighbors.

"Customers would come into my shop, look at my Ray-Bans and wonder if they were real," said Molad.

On Tuesday, the small store Molad referred to - New CWK Gift - was closed. Instead of colorful wares on the sidewalk, the business had white curtains and a "No trespassing" sign in its window.

Federal authorities recently raided New CWK Gift and seven other shops in Fisherman's Wharf. On Tuesday, they announced the seizure of more than 200,000 counterfeit retail items valued at $100 million - if they were genuine, that is - during what they called the largest-ever bust of retail counterfeiters on the West Coast.

Prosecutors charged 11 people with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States and trafficking in counterfeit goods, said U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello. Ten of those indicted were residents of San Francisco, he said.

If convicted, they could face up to 35 years in prison. Some could also face deportation to China depending on their immigration status, he said.

"The significant impact of trafficking in such merchandise on the American economy should be obvious," Russoniello said at a press conference at Crissy Field, flanked by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

The network targeted by the agencies is accused of importing goods from China that imitated 70 national and international brands, including Nike, Burberry, Kate Spade and Armani. The stores that allegedly sold the items - all of which were shuttered - include L&J Fashion, New Life Gift, C&K Gifts and La Bella Boutique.

The operation was first discovered in December 2007, authorities said, when customs officials seized a container at the Port of Oakland stuffed with 50,000 counterfeit designer accessories.
Multiple purchases

Investigators then conducted a number of sting operations at the stores. Time and time again, Russoniello said, they purchased counterfeit items.

While significant, the seizure represents a small slice of the market in sham goods, which some estimate is as large as 7 to 8 percent of the world's retail economy, said Fred Felman, the chief marketing officer for MarkMonitor, a San Francisco firm that helps companies protect their brands.

"You look at this and you think it is just purses and sunglasses," he said. "And then you look at it with respect to the global economy, and it is something else."

Experts say counterfeiters, who exploit others' hard work and innovation, have grown as economies become more global and the Internet flourishes - dark corners and all - as a prime destination for shoppers.

The problem has hounded everyone from cigarette makers to the military. A report by the U.S. Department of Commerce in January 2010 found that 39 percent of electronics companies contracted by the Department of Defense encountered counterfeit electronics from subcontractors, more than doubling from 2005 to 2008.
The source is China

John Morton, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Tuesday that counterfeiting "occurs in every facet of American industry and production." However, he said, most phony goods - from purses to pharmaceuticals - originate in China.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a new unit to respond to counterfeiting last fall, and officials hope Tuesday's bust can be the first of many.

But there are two kinds of buyers of counterfeit goods: those who believe they are purchasing the real thing and those who understand they are getting a cheap knock-off that kind of looks like the real thing.

Lisa Taylor, a tourist visiting Fisherman's Wharf from Alabama, said Tuesday that she knowingly purchased counterfeit sunglasses in New York City's Times Square recently.

"I don't think it is a threat," she said. "It is part of the culture in these areas."

E-mail Will Kane at wkane@sfchronicle.com.

[BJJ-Blue]

They have been counterfeiting our parts over there for a few years now. Some of them are easy to spot, others are pretty good couterfeits. I work in high tech, fyi.

[David Jamieson]

so, if you're wondering where your job went... lol

counterfeiting is a multi-billion dollar industry.

knockoffs hurt society more than most people suspect.

some people think it's great to get a fake coach purse for 1/10th the price.
Personally, I don't believe that person ever would have purchased a real one anyway.

But stealing other peoples designs without compensating them is wrong period. Cultural pluralism or relativism simply doesn't apply.

It really is a real problem and if it is going to stop, it will have to stop at the demand end. No demand, no supply it really is that simple.

[GeneChing]

Too awesome for words. I'm only cut&pastin the first two. Follow the link for the rest. You won't be disappointed.

Obama Fried Chicken?! Ridiculous Knockoff Goods From China (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/12/24/obama-fried-chicken-ridiculous-knockoff-goods-from-china/)
Dec 24, 2012 by Michelle
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/chinese-knockoffs6.jpg?w=580&h=293

It’s well known that China produces an overwhelming amount of counterfeit goods. The country is most famous for producing fake designer handbags, but there’s a surprising amount of non-apparel items floating around on the Chinese black market. In recent years, production of knockoff consumer items has been rapidly increasing and the International Chamber of Commerce expects international trade of counterfeit goods to reach $1.7 trillion by 2015.

Although this poses an enormous problem for the world economy, Chinese-produced counterfeit goods provide the citizens of the internet with a good laugh at some of the obviously fake products. Take a look at just a fraction of the outrageous knockoff goods you can find in China where a misspelled word is a mere minor offense.

Chinese Knockoffs

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/chinese-knockoffs.jpg?w=512&h=384
▲ I think I like the foo dog design better than the original mermaid design.

[Syn7]

Chinese knock everything off. It's to the point where I won't even buy Chinese electronic components from an independent source. They will knock off a 30 cent op amp that is like 1/10 the quality and push them for like 18 cents a unit as if it was a great deal. So weak. If it's cheaper than normal, and from China, I REFUSE to even consider it anymore. Tired of substandard parts. And it's really sad coz they do make great stuff in China. And I could get good deals if I could do diagnostics on the parts before hand. So I have to go with bigger companies who deal in the parts and do all those tests before sending them out. Quality control is so under regulated in China. So you have great items and crap items coming from the same factories some times. And sometimes knockoffs are actually stolen originals re-labelled or just un-labelled. Hard to tell which is which tho, not worth the risk when one crap component can **** you hard later on.

[Syn7]

Too awesome for words. I'm only cut&pastin the first two. Follow the link for the rest. You won't be disappointed.

OK, Obama Fried Chicken just seems outright racist. You know they would never have a Romney or McCain Fried Chicken. I bet they even sell watermelon!!!

[Jimbo]

Early in the period when I lived in Taiwan, in the '80s, they had a brand of toothpaste called Darkie Toothpaste. It had an old-fashioned looking charicature of a wide-eyed, grinning black man in a top hat on the package. A well-known African-American Tv personality (and DJ?) in Taipei, whose Mandarin was excellent, protested it to the point they changed the name to Darlie, and changed the drawing to a white man in a top hat.

[Jimbo]

As for China products, you really can't escape it. My ipad was made there. But if I have a choice, I will spend more for a product NOT made in China. I simply do not trust the quality control, or even the safety/reliability of the materials themselves.

[Syn7]

Well you are in luck because Apple is now doing "assembly" in the US for iPads and a few other high demand items. Of course it's still all Chinese parts.

But Apple is one of those companies that does go out of its way to ensure reasonable quality control in both components and finished product.

I don't like their anti hacking cases tho. Weak. You don't truly own a product till you tear it open and void that warranty! ;)

[Dale Dugas]

Hak Gwai Yu/Hei Gwei Yu is a trauma oil that is sold OTC.

Bak Gwai/Bai Gwei means Cracker or Whitey.

Hak Gwai means Black Ghost, nasty slang for Darkie.

[JamesC]

Just before I left Homeland Security we got a bulletin on Chinese counterfeit US documents.

There have always been places you could get said documents, but it is becoming more prevalent now. They're starting to become VERY good at microprinting and all the security features we place in important documents like passports and currency.

We also have had some drivers licenses from China that were so well made that police officers couldn't tell the difference. Holographics were just as good. Only way to tell was to scan it.

[GeneChing]

From an old informercial I wrote titled: Monk Takes Off His Shoe: The Sequel: My Continuing Life as a Shaolin Shoe Salesman (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=546)
This has created a rather ironic situation for the marketing of a Chinese import - brand loyalty in Asia, the land of abundant knockoffs from Rolex to Microsoft. Now I have nothing against knockoffs as long as they work. One of my all-time favorite knockoffs was a fashion line of clothing called McDonald's Sport, cheesy commie disco shirts complete with the golden arches. I still bust out my McDonald's Sport shirt when I want to annoy my friends. I love cheesy knockoffs.
http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/images/ezine/0414_margie_McDonald.jpg

:D

[Syn7]

Just before I left Homeland Security we got a bulletin on Chinese counterfeit US documents.

There have always been places you could get said documents, but it is becoming more prevalent now. They're starting to become VERY good at microprinting and all the security features we place in important documents like passports and currency.

We also have had some drivers licenses from China that were so well made that police officers couldn't tell the difference. Holographics were just as good. Only way to tell was to scan it.

Passports aren't that tough. RFID and decent databases make it a lil tougher, but it's still not as hard as you would think. I know a guy who actually cultivated false identities and nurtured their data over periods of years, decades even. He'd been doing it since the 60's and grew along with the industry. When I knew him, you could purchase an identity that had a ton of background. Registered here, signed this doc, attended so and so etc etc... Pretty good paper trail for somebody who never existed. And yes, he was Chinese. HK actually. He came here in 95 right before the changeover. I still don't even know his real name.

[GeneChing]

January 28, 2013 / Brooklyn news
Counterfeit cigarettes seized by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes (http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/36/5/all_counterfeitcigarettes_2013_02_01_bk.html)
DA Hynes: Six million counterfeit cigarettes from China seized
By Colin Mixson
The Brooklyn Paper

http://brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/36/5/all_counterfeitcigarettes_2013_02_01_bk01_z.jpg
http://brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/36/5/all_counterfeitcigarettes_2013_02_01_bk02_z.jpg

These smokes are smooth, mellow, and totally off the books!

Detectives with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Money Laundering and Revenue Crimes Bureau seized more than 30,000 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes from a Borough Park warehouse Thursday night — $4.5 million worth of blissfully tax-free tobacco pleasure, according to Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes.

“Selling this poison… is a drain on the state and city economy, because these cigarettes are entirely untaxed,” said Hynes at press conference Friday afternoon, surrounded by mounds of impounded bogies falsely labled as Marlboros, Newports and Camels.

The seizure, which was the result of six months of grueling undercover work, coincided with the arrest of Yin Haun Zhao, so far the only suspect in custody for the multi-million dollar counterfeit operation.

These counterfeit smokes, aside from depriving the city of $1.8 million in tax revenue, also carry additional health risks beyond the increased risk of emphysema and various forms of cancer typically associated with tobacco smoking.

In China, where the bogus butts originated, unregulated tobacco is sometimes dried by trucks rolling over the nicotine-filled leaves laid out on the ground, lacing it with leaded gas fumes in the process, according to Michael Vecchione, Chief of the Brooklyn DA’s Racket Division.

“As unhealthy as smoking is, smoking counterfeit and bootleg cigarettes is even worse, because there is no way of knowing what chemicals they contain,” said Hynes.

The Brooklyn’s DA’s office is certainly high on the recent bust, though some smokers in the borough may have preferred sucking on contaminated cigarettes over paying New York City’s smoking tax, which at $5.85 is the highest in the country. I don't smoke, but I'm told that Chinese cigs are pretty good by American smokers. Flying Horse was a popular brand when I was there last. The area near Shaolin produces tobacco. But Hynes is right - who knows what kind of chems are in them?

[Syn7]

Yeah maybe, but the knockoffs are poison. They have even found human feces in many samples. And that's not counting the extra poison. Many Chinese products conform to the standards of the importers. But when it comes to knockoffs, lots of short cuts. I wouldn't go near any Chinese knockoff for any reason. Maybe down the road that will change. But today, not a chance. Especially with consumables.

[GeneChing]

Most westerners can't stand Chinese liquor and I can sympathize with that. Although I will say that Moutai and Wuliangye are pretty good as Chinese liquors go, once you develop the taste for them.
Police bust alcohol counterfeiters (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2013-02/08/content_16214003.htm)
Updated: 2013-02-08 07:38
By Cao Yin ( China Daily)

Beijing police said they have busted 10 gangs involving almost 90 people suspected of producing and selling fake Chinese liquor in a recent crackdown.

The fake liquor was copies of well-known brands, including Moutai and Wuliangye, police said in a statement on Thursday.

The announcement comes one month after media reported on fake imported wine and beer being seized in "Bar Street" in Beijing's Sanlitun. Experts said fake name-brand alcohol is usually rampant in the days before major holidays.

Police said they tracked the alcohol counterfeiters to their workshops thanks to tips provided by residents in Tongzhou district's Yongzhou township in December.

Initial investigations showed the suspects used empty bottles they bought from regions neighboring Beijing, such as Tianjin municipality, Shandong and Shanxi provinces, and filled them with fake liquor.

On Jan 25, police closed 40 illegal workshops and confiscated 6,060 bottles of alcohol, with a total value of 5.37 million yuan ($861,000), according to a statement provided by the city's public security bureau on Thursday.

Eighty-eight suspects, all from Gushi county in Henan province, were caught in Beijing's Tongzhou district.

Fifty-three of the suspects have been detained, the statement said.

Some of the suspects could be sentenced to seven years in prison for breaching copyrights, said Zhao Li, a criminal lawyer with Beijing King and Bond Law Firm.

Police did not say where the fake Chinese liquor was sold. The case is still under investigation, the statement said.

In January, Beijing police detained five people suspected of supplying fake imported wine and beer to establishments in Sanlitun's Bar Street. More than 37,000 bottles of fake booze were seized.

The suspects confessed they bought or recycled quality wine bottles and put cheap wine in them, aiming to sell the bottles at a high price.

Ding Feng, a police officer at Sanlitun police station, said the station stepped up checks on Bar Street after the fake alcohol was found.

Currently, only one police officer at the station is responsible for checking liquor in more than 20 bars twice a week, which is "quite a big workload", said Ding, adding more police officers will be assigned to the job.

But reports from residents or customers are the main source of information for police, he said, admitting that police officers untrained in wine tasting face great difficulty in determining the difference between authentic and fake alcohol.

Forgers also tend to produce counterfeit alcohol products in rented houses in urban-rural areas of the city and often move around, posing great challenges for law enforcement, said a police officer with Fengtai district's subbureau, who did not want to be identified.

Despite the crackdown, it is not easy to root out alcohol counterfeiters, said Dai Peng, director of the criminal investigation department of the People's Public Security University of China.

"As counterfeiters often use low-quality liquor in counterfeiting, which in many cases won't damage drinkers' health, the forgers will not receive punishment that is severe enough to stop them," he said.

There's a vid on the article below that explains more...
US Importers from China Sell Dangerous and Counterfeit Toys (http://ntdtv.org/en/news/china/2013-02-08/us-importers-from-china-sell-dangerous-and-counterfeit-toys.html)
Created: 2013-02-08 14:22 EST

US authorities on Wednesday charged five individuals and their companies for importing hazardous and counterfeit toys from China.

They sold the toys wholesale, and from a storefront in New York City.

“When you shop for consumer goods CBP imports specialists to make sure the products you buy are not counterfeit or unsafe.”

But with all the shipments that come into the US, it is hard to ensure the safety of each product.

US officials began seizing shipments from the defendants as early as July, 2005. In all- 33 separate seizures were made, totaling more than $10 million, according to ABC News.

The defendants are accused of forming a new company to continue importing the toys when the previous one accumulated too many seizures.

Some of the toys seized include SpongeBob SquarePants, Power Rangers and Winnie the Pooh.

The toys either contained dangerous levels of lead, or were cheap knockoffs that could easily break, creating a choking hazard.

On top of hazardous and counterfeit toy charges, the defendants are also accused of smuggling and money laundering.

Two of the accused are naturalized citizens from China and the other three are Chinese residents living in Queens, New York.

[GeneChing]

Filled with rocks instead of nuts. :eek:

Here's a vid in Chinese. You'll get the idea: 郑州惊现水泥核桃 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjqElY2IpFA)

[GeneChing]

Not quite counterfeits as it's not a brand name condom like Trojan. Or is it? Gotta chuckle though at the fact that they were too small. :o


Ghana seizes 1m faulty condoms imported from China (http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/apr/18/ghana-seizes-faulty-condoms-imported-china?INTCMP=SRCH)

Ghana facing 'major public health issue' after condoms supplied to health service found to contain holes and burst easily

Afua Hirsch, west Africa correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 April 2013 09.28 EDT


Ghana is facing a "major public health issue" after condoms supplied to the country's health service were found to contain holes and burst easily.

More than 1m "Be Safe" condoms have been impounded by the country's food and drugs authority (FDA), which said they were also too small and not adequately lubricated.

"When we tested these condoms, we found that they are poor quality, can burst in the course of sexual activity, and have holes which expose the users to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease," said Thomas Amedzro, head of drug enforcement at the FDA.

But the FDA said it was investigating how an unknown number of condoms had been distributed to health centres around the country, before the tests were conducted. "We want to get to the bottom of this, and to find out why all the condoms were not presented to us before they went out," said Amedzro.

The FDA is recalling all Be Safe condoms on the market, and said it does not yet know how many have already been distributed. It is standard practice to conduct safety tests on condoms, many of which are imported from China.

The FDA said the faulty Be Safe consignment was imported by Global Unilink Ltd, a Ghanaian company, which had sourced them from an Indian company named Harley Ltd based in Kenya. Amedzro said the FDA has traced the condoms back to the original manufacturer, Henan Xibei Latex Company Limited, in Henan province, central China.

"This is a huge, huge problem," said Faustina Fynn-Nyame, director of Marie Stopes International in Ghana. "There will be a lot of unintended pregnancies as a result of this, and that means maternal mortality and unsafe abortion. Commercial sex workers also use these products [so] the consequences could be enormous."

The companies involved in importing the condoms were not available to comment. But Be Safe condoms are reported to be widely used in Ghana, where they are distributed by state-run health centres. Previous batches are understood to have passed safety tests.

This is not the first scare surrounding condoms in sub-Saharan Africa. Last year, South Africa recalled more than 1m faulty ANC condoms, which the ruling party had given away.

"This is a major public health issue because of the implications," said Amedzro. "People use condoms to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. If the condoms are not doing that, we could have increased [risk] of HIV and Aids, so that is a major concern."

[GeneChing]

Fake toasters!
US Seizes 15,000 Counterfeit Chinese Toasters (http://ntdtv.org/en/news/china/2013-04-19/nearly-15-000-counterfeit-chinese-toasters-seized-at-us-seaport.html)
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Created: 2013-04-19 17:18 EST

Counterfeit Chinese items are making headlines again. This time nearly 15-thousand toasters were seized at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport, according to US Customs and Border Protection authorities. The toasters had bogus safety markings on them.
The shipments, worth nearly $300,000 in retail stores, were seized on March 8th and 28th.

The toasters were found to have faulty safety markings by Underwriters Laboratories, or UL. The independent organization carries out tests to make sure there are no fire, shock or personal injury hazard possibilities with products.

Almost 25 percent of commodities seized by Customs and Border Protection were worth $33.5 million last year alone. Actually the fake UL marking is pretty bad. One of my Kung Fu bros worked at UL as a tester. He always unplugged everything - EVERYTHING - when he left the house.

[GeneChing]

And we complain about horse meat (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65208)? :rolleyes:
Shanghai diners fed rat, mink and fox instead of lamb (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10035515/Shanghai-diners-fed-rat-mink-and-fox-instead-of-lamb.html)
Shanghai's residents have joked for years that the city's hot pot restaurants substitute cat meat for lamb.
By Malcolm Moore, Beijing
12:35PM BST 03 May 2013

Not quite, according to the city's police; the lamb is actually more likely to be rat, fox or mink.

On Friday, 63 suspects were arrested for a racket that makes horse meat in hamburgers seem positively palatable.

For the past four years, the police said, the gang had taken the small mammals, doused their flesh in dye and preservatives, and sold it as lamb "at farmers' markets in Jiangsu and Shanghai".

In a raid, nearly 10 tons of the counterfeit lamb was confiscated from a warehouse and the police said the gang had made profits of at least £1 million.

"How many rats does it take to put together a sheep?" asked one user of Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

There was weary resignation, rather than surprise, at the latest revelations in a city that is already accustomed to its food being cooked in oil dredged from the sewers, and where more than 16,000 putrefying pig carcasses were found dumped in a river that provides drinking water earlier this year.

However, the Shanghai police took the time to give advice on the internet on how to spot fake lamb.

"In fake lamb, it is easy to pull apart the fat from the red meat. In real lamb, the fat is difficult to separate," the police said on Sina Weibo, in a post that was forwarded more than 10,000 times.

The arrests in Shanghai were part of a countrywide operation since the beginning of the year to reassure the public that their food is safe.

A total of 904 people were arrested for selling fake, poisonous or contaminated meat and more than 1,700 underground butchers and processors were closed down.

[Syn7]

Given the state of global affairs, it isn't a stretch to assume that in the not so distant future people who still eat meat will have to "expand" their horizons a lil. Personally, I see us going the way of Star Trek. Making rounded meals of raw materials. Printed food isn't that far off. Commercially, that is.