In China
In China, copying brands to produce replicas is seen as a gesture of respect.
In China, music piracy is welcomed as free marketing and revenues are generated through numerous tangentiles.
In China, an enormous industry makes hundreds of millions of dollars in replicating designer clothes by photographing catwalk models then manufacturing the clothes, often beating the official line to the shops. Rather than only the rich being able to wear designer items, everyone can. The brand awareness effect is huge and wholly welcomed.
In China, those that buy fake product, often aspire to the original product – there is no confusion over what is better or worse quality.
In China, you can buy fake price tags and fake receipts if you are determined to convince onlookers.
In China, the genuine luxury goods market has grown to be the third largest in the world – assisted directly by it’s embrace of piracy.
And we – in the western world – litigate, chastise, embargo and confine, whilst getting ever more confused over how to monetize in a world of file-sharers…
If you can, try and pick up a fake iPhone. A complete rip off, but built from scratch with replica hardware and their own software. Buggy as hell but worth playing with.
Very interesting. The only difference between China and here is that acquiring counterfeit goods could result on one side from scarcity of income (average Chinese wage doesn't allow you to get the real deal) and on the other from a problem of allocation of the incore (many people here HAVE the required amount for the real deal but rather do something different, e.g. go out, travel, with it and thus go for the counterfeit anyway)… which migh be two different issues.
Have a great day.
Great summary, Jmac. Reminds me a bit of what Stephen Fry talked about in his iTunes Festival podcast: http://www.stephenfry.com/media/audio/111/serie...