Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs

[GeneChing]

This is slightly OT as it's not quite a Chinese counterfeit. It's a Korean counterfeit foisted on Chinese.

People should check the labels more closely.

It's Simi-Similac, fake fake milk.

Good point, -N-.

[GeneChing]

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer as the fentanyl is real, it's just processed poorly here in the States. As some of you know, I do volunteer work restraining combative patients, mostly drug induced. The fentanyl problem has been steadily rising recently. It's a serious and lethal issue.

‘Truly terrifying’: Chinese suppliers flood US and Canada with deadly fentanyl


EROS DERVISHI FOR STAT

By DAVID ARMSTRONG @DavidArmstrongX
APRIL 5, 2016

The dozen packages were shipped from China to mail centers and residences in Southern California. One box was labeled as a “Hole Puncher.”

In fact, it was a quarter-ton pill press, which federal investigators allege was destined for a suburban Los Angeles drug lab. The other packages, shipped throughout January and February, contained materials for manufacturing fentanyl, an opioid so potent that in some forms it can be deadly if touched.

When it comes to the illegal sale of fentanyl, most of the attention has focused on Mexican cartels that are adding the drug to heroin smuggled into the United States. But Chinese suppliers are providing both raw fentanyl and the machinery necessary for the assembly-line production of the drug powering a terrifying and rapid rise of fatal overdoses across the United States and Canada, according to drug investigators and court documents.

“We have seen an influx of fentanyl directly from China,” said Carole Rendon, the acting US attorney for the northern district of Ohio in Cleveland. “It’s being shipped by carrier. It’s hugely concerning because fentanyl is so incredibly deadly.”

The China connection is allowing local drug dealers in North America to mass produce fentanyl in pill form, in some cases producing tablets that look identical to an oft-abused version of the prescription painkiller OxyContin. It also has been added to Xanax pills. And last week, fentanyl pills made to resemble the painkiller hydrocodone were blamed for a wave of overdoses in the Sacramento area, including nine deaths.

The fentanyl pills are often disguised as other painkillers because those drugs fetch a higher price on the street, even though they are less potent, according to police.

The Southern California lab was just one of four dismantled by law enforcement in the United States and Canada in March.


CALGARY POLICE SERVICE Packaged fentanyl seized in Calgary, Alberta.

In British Columbia, police took down a lab at a custom car business that was allegedly shipping 100,000 fentanyl pills a month to nearby Calgary, Alberta where 90 people overdosed on the drug last year. The investigation began when border authorities intercepted a package in December containing pharmaceutical equipment. Police would not describe the equipment but told STAT it came from China.

Federal agents shut down a Seattle lab set up in the bedroom of a home in a residential neighborhood. Similarly, investigators last week raided a suburban Syracuse, N.Y. residence that police charged was a “Fentanyl Processing Mill.” Investigators found six people inside the home mixing and packaging the drug and seized enough fentanyl to make 5,866 doses. As they entered the home, police reportedly were warned by the alleged dealers not to touch the fentanyl without gloves because of its potency.

The emergence of decentralized drug labs using materials obtained from China — and often ordered over the Internet — makes it more difficult to combat the illicit use of the drug.

“We had a spike in 2007” of fentanyl-related deaths, said Russell Baer, a spokesman for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. “We traced it to a single production lab in Mexico and the deaths went away. Now, it is not restricted to one site.”

Fentanyl is legally used to treat people with severe pain, often after surgery, but this prescription fentanyl is not the source of most of the illegal trade.

People who unknowingly take fentanyl — either in pill form or when cut into heroin — can easily overdose because it is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and many times that of heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It works quickly, and multiple doses of the antidote naloxone are often required to reverse an overdose.

US health and law enforcement officials began warning of a spike in fentanyl deaths last year, a trend that has continued into this year. Fentanyl has surpassed heroin as a killer in several locales. A recent report by the CDC identified 998 fatal fentanyl overdoses in Ohio in 2014 and the first five months of 2015. Last month, federal prosecutors in Cleveland charged a local man with selling blue pills that appeared to be 30 milligram doses of the milder painkiller oxycodone. When tested, the 925 pills in his possession turned out to be fentanyl.

“One of the truly terrifying things is the pills are pressed and dyed to look like oxycodone,” said Rendon. “If you are using oxycodone and take fentanyl not knowing it is fentanyl, that is an overdose waiting to happen. Each of those pills is a potential overdose death.”

In Calgary, the fentanyl pills were produced to look similar to a version of OxyContin that was easily abused before it was replaced in 2012 by a tamper-resistant form, according to police. The pills are the same shade of green as OxyContin and are marked “80”, which was a frequently abused dosage of the drug. On the street, the fentanyl pills are called “shady 80s,” said Calgary Police Sergeant. Martin Schiavetta. They are sold for about $20 a pill, and some addicts take 15 to 20 pills a day.

“We have tracked the import from China,” Schiavetta said of fentanyl sold in the Canadian city. “The dealers ask for fentanyl powder and there are websites that guarantee delivery. If it is stopped at the border, they will send you a new one.” He said the packages are labeled as different products, such as car parts.

In Edmonton, Alberta, police inspector Dwayne Lakusta said fentanyl and pill presses are coming from China. “It is getting worse,” he said of that city’s fentanyl problem. “We will be battling this every day moving forward.”

Federal agents in Southern California became aware of the fentanyl operation there when a US Customs and Border Protection agent discovered a commercial pill press being sent from China to Gary Resnik, a Long Beach, Calif., man who has since been charged in the drug ring along with three other men.

Resnik allegedly set up a company called “Beyond Your Dreams” to order the machine, which was shipped through Los Angeles International Airport by a Chinese company called Capsulcn International, according to court records. Those records allege the Chinese company has a history of shipping pill presses to customers in the United States using fake shipping labels. Attempts to identify a specific location of the company and contact information were unsuccessful.


RCMP Pill press seized in British Columbia in March.

Federal agents eventually seized six pill presses they allege were used by the Southern California dealers. Each machine could produce thousands of pills an hour.

The dealers allegedly operated one lab out of a single-story home they rented in Baldwin Park, Calif. Investigators believe none of the men arrested actually lived there. DEA agents and technicians wearing bright-yellow hazardous material suits shut down the lab on March 15.

A storage unit was rented to house supplies and equipment. Agents also discovered handwritten notes listing ingredients and mixtures necessary to manufacture the fentanyl pills, according to court records.

The drug allegedly sold by the Los Angeles dealers was a fentanyl analog, called acetyl fentanyl, which has a slightly different chemical composition. Federal investigators have identified a dozen analogs of fentanyl produced in clandestine labs, all of which act similarly in the body to heroin, with the exception of being more potent.

China last year made it illegal to export acetyl fentanyl, a move that drew praise from US officials. However, several police agencies in North America say the drug continues to stream out of the country.

A report this month from the Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs found China remains a major producer and exporter of drugs like fentanyl for illicit international markets. The country’s vast chemical and pharmaceutical industries — combined with lax regulation, low production costs, and government corruption — make China an “ideal source” for the export of materials needed in illicit drug production, according to the report.

In an affidavit, DEA agent Lindsey Bellomy said that based on wire transfers and other evidence, she “strongly believes” the Southern California group acquired its fentanyl from China. The affidavit lists a dozen deliveries from China to members of the group in January and February.

When police stopped one customer after he allegedly purchased fentanyl from the group, he was found to have “several thousand pills” later determined to be acetyl fentanyl by lab technicians. The customer told police he purchased drugs from the group every couple of days, and that he, in turn, sold his buyers a minimum of 1,000 pills, a quantity known as “a boat.”

David Armstrong can be reached at david.armstrong@statnews.com
Follow David on Twitter @DavidArmstrongX

[GeneChing]

Around the world in one town: 'China's richest village' is filled with copies of iconic buildings - including the country's own landmarks

Images have emerged of copycat landmarks in Huaxi, also referred to as China's richest village
In the community, those who work for the factories are given free healthcare and cooking oil
Copies include Arc de Triomphe, Sydney Opera House, the Great Wall and US State Capital

By SOPHIE WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:23 EST, 12 April 2016 | UPDATED: 12:25 EST, 12 April 2016

Landmarks deemed one of a kind such as Capitol Hill and the Sydney Opera House have been replicated in central China.

Visitors have been flocking to a theme park in Huaxi village, China's Jiangsu province to see the iconic copycat buildings, the People's Daily Online reports.

Huaxi, where the buildings are located is known to be the richest village in China.


Well known landmark: A replica of Paris' famous Arc de Triomphe stands in Huaxi village, Jiangsu province


Pride of China: Alongside world famous landmarks stand well known Chinese locations such as Tiananmen Rostrum


Wandering on the famous landmark: Visitors walk on a replica of the Great Wall which is 2.5 miles long, 1300 miles shorter than the original


Real or fake? This immitation of a famous landmark is quite convincing compared to others in the village such as the Sydney Opera House

The area includes a 2.5-mile-long replica of the Great Wall of China.

Despite being more than 13,000 miles shorter than the real Great Wall, some tourists reportedly thought it was the original structure.

Like the real Great Wall of China, the replica has been built with stones on top of a mountain range.

Sections of the wall are divided with watch towers, just like the real thing.

Huaxi, with its 2,000 official registered inhabitants, has long been recognised as the richest village in China - each resident having at least 1.6 million yuan (£173, 844) in the bank.

According to Business Insider, the village has transformed into a haven where every resident is entitled to benefits such as free healthcare, education, a home and cooking oil.

In order to receive these benefits, every resident has to work seven days a week usually in the town's industrial plant.

Huaxi is home to a huge skyscraper dubbed the Hanging Village of Huaxi.

Reaching 328 metres (1,076ft) into the sky in Huaxi, Jiangsu province, its closest rival is 600 miles away in Beijing and it is 18metres taller than the Shard in Central London.

Despite such a small population, the latest tower to be built there is 52 storeys higher than its closest rival in Huaxi and has enough capacity to fit the entire population of the village.

The skyscraper stands taller than Paris's Eiffel Tower (324m) and the Chrysler Building (319m) in New York.

It had taken four years for the work to be finished on the 74-storey hotel and residential block at a cost of 3 billion yuan (£301m).

Some have compared the building as looking like a trophy because at the top there is a huge sphere made out of glass while others wonder if it is sustainable in such a place as Huaxi.

There are 800 suites in the structure and it can hold around 2,000 people. There is an exhibition hall, a revolving restaurant and rooftop swimming pools and gardens.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Real or fake? This building in Huaxi village is a replica of the US Capitol Hill in Washington DC and has attracted tourists


Not such a good imitation: This building is meant to be a replica of Australia's Sydney Opera House



Convincing? Fake Great Wall (pictured) is built of man-made stone and is divided with regular guard towers


Tourist attraction: A replica of the Shanghaiguan Pass section of the Great Wall of China stands in 'China's richest village'


Huaxi village in Jiangsu province has been dubbed 'the richest village in China' and its residents live a very comfortable lifestyle



Big building for a village: Huaixi has shown off its extravagant side by constructing a giant skyscraper with a five star hotel inside

Architectural replicas have become particularly popular in China in recent years.

French landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de triomphe, are particularly popular for replica makers.

Most recently, a small statuette of Lady Liberty has appeared in Yunnan, south west China, inside a hotel garden.

However, there's also been an increasing number of replica Chinese landmarks appearing around the country.

They have far fewer visitors than the real tourist sites, giving travellers more opportunities for photographs.

This is just too PRC to resist - world monument replicas - not quite counterfeit.

[GeneChing]

A timely scam for sure.

Shanghai police uncover Disney recruitment scam
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2016-04-14 17:33

SHANGHAI - Shanghai police have busted a gang they accuse of having used fraudulent job ads for Shanghai Disneyland to con 3 million yuan ($463,000) in broker's fees from more than 200 applicants.

Police announced the arrest of three suspected gang leaders on Thursday, two months away from the opening of Disney's first theme park on the Chinese mainland.

A taxi driver surnamed Li was the first to report the scam to police. He said he quit his taxi business after the Disney job offer, for which he paid 13,000 yuan to the broker.

However, the management position that was offered by the brokerage turned out to be a cleaning job.

According to police, one of the suspects confessed that he pretended to be a senior Disney executive to recruit staff.

The June opening of the Disney park in Shanghai has triggered a sales rush after tickets became available in March. Park passes for the resort's opening day were snapped up in minutes.

[GeneChing]

Chinese Chip Counterfeiter, Lured to US in Sting, Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy
Written by JOSEPH COX CONTRIBUTOR
April 18, 2016 // 01:25 PM EST

On Friday, Daofu Zhang, a Chinese citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell counterfeit computer chips used in military applications. According to Zhang's plea agreement, the offense carries a maximum penalty of ten years of imprisonment and a $2 million fine.

Zhang’s is just the latest conviction in the long, established trade of fake or “recycled” chips coming from China—a trade that has affected systems and networks in the US military and beyond.

In 2011, the the director of the US Missile Defense Agency told Congress that counterfeit electronics had ended up in the agency's systems seven times over five years. Fakes have also been installed in weapon systems, and a 2012 Senate Armed Services Committee investigation found phony parts in cargo headed for Special Operations helicopters and a Navy surveillance plane. The shipments had come from China.

Researchers have even responded to the problem, trying to find ways to mitigate the counterfeit chip market, by designing new systems to make chips harder to fake.

One well-known hub for this trade is the Guiyu Electronics Market, just outside Shantou, in southeast China. The market is notorious for being where iPhones, and other electronics, go to be recycled. A 2010 study showed that over 80 percent of a group of village children under 6 years old suffered from lead poisoning.

At Guiyu, workers strip used computer chips, which are then cleaned in a river and then exported. Some of these chips will become part of the legitimate second-hand industry, which sells refurbished components that are no longer produced by the original manufacturer.

“Defense agencies and contractors regularly purchase ICs on the secondary market, either to maintain older systems and equipment, or to assemble new systems and equipment from old designs,” Jessica A. Herrington, a Special Agent, writes in the complaint against Zhang.

But some companies may physically modify a chip so that it appears that it came from a different company, or a certain batch, or was made on a different date—meaning they can be sold for a higher profit. The chips can be re-marked after the original tags (which demarcate the true company of origin) have been sanded off, or new markings can be written on top of a thick layer of black epoxy, Herrington writes.

A 2008 investigation by Business Weektraced chips used by BAE Systems, the infamous aerospace government contractor, back to traders in Shenzhen, China. As part of that article, reporters detailed a string of companies that played a part in providing the US military market with lower quality chips.

“The sale of re-marked or otherwise fraudulent ICs into the stream of commerce is a significant problem, due to the increased risk of equipment failure from using salvaged or sub-standard components,” Herrington continues.

Zhang worked for one of the scam companies which was based in Shenzhen, the same city that Business Week was led to in 2008.

In 2012, law enforcement agents launched an elaborate undercover operation, purchasing items from ‘HK Potential’. Years later, in November 2015, Zhang shipped two packages containing eight chips with counterfeit Xilinx brand labels. Xilinix's chips had military applications, “including radiation tolerance for uses in space,” according to the US Attorney's Office. Zhang and two others were arrested shortly after, when they arrived in the US as part of a purported deal with the undercover agents.

Zhang's co-conspirators also pleaded guilty in March of this year. Their case, however, seems unlikely to squash the still-booming Chinese counterfeit chip trade.

Thought this was connected to the Military goggles post earlier here, but I guess it isn't.

[GeneChing]

Saved this one, just for today.

China Glass: Fab or Fake?
September 8, 2015 at 8:30 am
By Mr. Vivid

Expecting cannabis users to happily spend $3,300 on a dab rig may seem like a fool’s errand.

But the “Fabergé Egg” rigs created by Washington-based glass blower Mothership have proved so popular that the rigs are near-impossible to find — even with an unlimited bankroll and after a long road trip.

Following the phenomenal success of Mothership’s “Fab” designs, dozens of imitators have come to market. There is a surge of China-based clone manufacturers who have set out to solve the problem of supply and demand.

But what do you sacrifice when buying a clone?

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

A friend celebrated a birthday recently, and I wanted to score him a nice water pipe from a local shop. We went in together and instantly appreciated one of the offerings for its simplicity and ease of cleaning. It functioned perfectly, and has been a great gift. Later, I discovered we purchased a Chinese-made clone of an American glass designer.

Since then, I have hit several clones at parties and festivals. To be confusingly blunt, the craftsmanship is both impressive and lacking.

For starters, you get what you pay for. Crooked cold welded joints, glass bubbles, and poor finishing details are just a few of the flaws common to these mass-market clones, which nonetheless run for as little as $25 online — a fraction of what the smoke shops who sell them charge. You won’t get the flame polishing and exquisite detail you see on a Mothership — but you paid 2 percent of the cost.

There’s also a cultural divide. Cannabis is still very illegal in China, which means Chinese glass blowers are detached from cannabis culture. I doubt these glass blowers have ever used their rigs. Thus, they don’t understand important aspects like restriction. This is painfully obvious when you receive a non-functioning piece.

Nonetheless, function can be found. Your editor and I ordered two mini fab eggs from the same supplier, via DHGate.com. The same model, they nonetheless looked noticeably different. But they both worked, and considering the price and design, I would give the fab clone an 8 of 10. It made me instantly want to test another well-reviewed item like the straight Fab or the mini-Torus!

ARTIST SUBTRACTION

However, it is important to point out that cheap comes at a cost. Artists, inventors, and factory workers all deserve to make a living. Your local glass blower has a dangerous job that requires expensive equipment. Some of the markup on a Mothership is warranted. But, with legalization in sight, Mothership’s work could continue to grow in price. Meanwhile, the public is proving that there is significant demand for a feature-lacking clone.

I would like to see Mothership license their process, so as to not lock bong innovation in exclusive or illicit markets. Medical glass art should be for everyone who needs it; it should not be Veblen goods or require more than a month’s salary.

There is a reliable middle ground. For $200 to $300 or so, you can get most NorCal glass. The rig will be well thought out, and is made by people who understand cannabis. This isn’t the case with China, but they are getting a lot of feedback, and rapidly developing new copies. Among the most popular designs are the Torus Incycler, The Fab Family, FC-710, and the D020.

There are some things to watch out for. I would not purchase ceramic or metal from a Chinese clone maker. Metal alloy can be really nasty. We know these factories will sell you a clone, do you trust them to use the highest grade materials? Stick to clear glass or quartz, and pay a little more for American ceramics or metal. Peace of mind — and your health — is worth it.

EXPERT OPINION

I have purchased more than 100 bongs in my life, and have MacGuyver’d my share of Gatorade-bottle hacks. I have a pretty vast understanding of the subject, but certainly wanted to consult someone in the business.

So, I contacted a dozen artists and another dozen shops for comment. All but two turned me down.

I won’t mention the name of the San Francisco shop that appears to be currently selling a Chinese pipe, but they did tell me that it was American glass with a $200 price tag.

However, Vapor Smoke Shop on Stockton Street was willing to talk, and the crew there was refreshingly honest with me.

The manager didn’t seem surprised that other companies were unreachable on the subject due to the stigma associated with Chinese-made clone glass: unhealthy materials, wrong weighting, every corner cut.

They had the same quality concerns I had (such as the inconsistent fab hole spacing) but quickly hedged the criticism with a “but for $40?!?” comment.

What I really wanted to know was if they would sell something like this.

They immediately had legal concerns, quickly followed by reputation concerns. However, they thought it would fly off the shelf at $100.

As for the “real deal,” the only way the Vapor crew would ever sell a $2,500-$3,000 pipe is if someone asked for it by name, they told me.

Let’s face it — it’s not common for the reefer-smoking demographic to have an extra $2,500 to blow on glass.

It’s much more common to hear something like “That $100 bong is sweet, but I could have a quarter and a pack of papers for the same price.”

NO TROUBLE WITH LITTLE CHINA

You can’t replace the experience or instant gratification of your local head shop, but my experience with China glass was surprisingly terrific.

These markets provide an opportunity for collectors to try out exotic designs without the investment or risk. The better sellers have many positive reviews, and their work is heavily scrutinized.

Still, it is important to find a trusted dealer. The quality of the vape/smoke is wildly different between designs and sellers, so start with the most reviewed merchants: stevenlmz79, kathy0577, cleanclearglass, or sunshinestore are a few.

If you are curious, bubble over to DHgate.com and see if your next bong will be Made in China.

Disclaimer: I am not telling you to buy anything. Research your local laws before ordering crazy **** on the Internet.

Photo by Mr. Vivid

[GeneChing]

I could have sworn I posted on the original film here earlier. I know I posted somewhere but it's hard to search out. Anyway, here it is - the sequel.

Chinese 'knock-off' of Disney's 'Cars' set for sequel
By Shen Lu and Katie Hunt, CNN
Updated 4:20 AM ET, Tue April 26, 2016


Poster for "The Autobots," (L) next to the Chinese-language movie poster for Pixar's "Cars 2."

Story highlights
Director says he plans sequel to movie slammed as "Cars" ripoff
Zhuo Jianrong says new film would be released next year
Disney says it has ongoing legal proceedings against filmmaker
Beijing (CNN)The director of a Chinese animated movie slammed for allegedly knocking off Pixar's "Cars" says he will have a sequel out next year.

Zhuo Jianrong, the director of "The Autobots," a controversial cartoon movie released last year widely criticized online for copying "Cars", told CNN the sequel will be released in the summer of 2017.
Critics and disappointed moviegoers last year deemed Zhuo's animation a copy of Pixar's hit film franchise, but the filmmaker and production company denied the accusations, insisting it was "independently produced" and an "original" film.
Zhuo said Disney had sued his company over copyright infringement last year, but refused to reveal more details about the case.
Disney, which owns Pixar, said it had ongoing legal proceedings against the filmmaker and couldn't comment further.
But a defiant Zhou said the court case "doesn't affect our making of the second movie at all."
The Chinese filmmaker, who insisted he had never seen any movies in the "Cars" franchise before making his own movie, claimed "The Autobots 2" will be completely different and a "much finer" movie than his first installment.
"The storyline and main parts will be completely different than the first one," he said. "This time we are learning from Hollywood, trying to make it a blockbuster."
Despite the criticism, Zhuo believes the first movie -- which featured a promotional poster that was similar to "Cars" -- was a success. The investment in the movie was less than 3 million yuan ($462,000), but it took in twice as much at the box office, he added.
Some moviegoers begged to differ.
"Many innocent moviegoers took their kids to the movie theater believing it to be 'Cars'," said one user on Douban, a Chinese social media platform that allows users to score and review movies.
"The animation was so poorly made that it is no match for the average domestic cartoon series, and far worse than its not-so-good poster."
It scored an average of 2.3 points on a five point scale from around 12,763 reviewers on Douban.
When the controversy erupted last year, a Disney spokeswoman told CNN that the company shared the same concerns as many netizens and movie fans.
Second time around though, the budget will be much bigger -- 50 million to 60 million yuan -- and Zhuo is confident the sequel will be a better animation, rich with Chinese elements.
The moviemaker, who is also vocal on Chinese social media, admitted the criticism had motivated him to make the sequel and hoped that he would be able to distribute the new movie worldwide.
"We are determined to make a world-class movie," he said.
"Who says that only Pixar and Disney can make good animations with automobile elements? We can, too."

CNN's Shen Lu reported from Beijing. Katie Hunt wrote from Hong Kong.

[GeneChing]

Not quite counterfeit - this is copycat or knockoff.

And I totally want some Uncle Martian wear.

Under Armour vows to take aggressive legal action against Chinese knockoff brand Uncle Martian



China's latest shoe brand, Uncle Martian, looks like it might face some legal problems from the company that it is trying to blatantly rip off.
Last week, pictures from the company's launch gala went viral with netizens noticing that the new Chinese sportswear company's logo looks suspiciously similar to Under Armour's trademark.



A 20-year-old American sportswear brand that has recently been enjoying some unprecedented success in the Chinese market, Under Armour has noticed as well, and it isn't happy. In a statement emailed to Fortune, the company vowed to pursue "all business and legal courses of actions" to stop Uncle Martian from ever getting off the ground:

Under Armour is aware of the Uncle Martian launch event. Uncle Martian’s uses of Under Armour’s famous logo, name, and other intellectual property are a serious concern and blatant infringement. Under Armour will vigorously pursue all business and legal courses of action.

Uncle Martian's parent company is Fujian-based Tingfei Long Sporting Goods, a 25-year-old sports shoe manufacturer that has specialized in manufacturing off-brand sneakers for years, but now appears poised for bigger and better things, riding on the wave of Under Armour's growing success in China.
Under Armour's name and logo are registered in China, as well as other international markets. We'll have to wait and see if that fact helps the company in litigation to come.
China is infamous for its disregard of international copyright laws -- with copycat sphinxes, talent shows and luxury brands -- but it's hard to blame them when the strategy is often such a success. Last year, a company that began as a Segway copycat actually bought Segway, and then got financed by Xiaomi.



Meanwhile, Chinese courts make punishing these "copycat brands" a difficult task. Currently, China's top court is deciding whether to reopen a high-profile copyright case involving Michael Jordan and Chinese sportswear company Qiaodan Sports.
Last year, a Beijing court dismissed Jordan's claim that the Chinese company was infringing on his trademark. Qiaodan (乔丹) is the transliteration of the NBA star's surname in Chinese. The company's products also incorporate the number 23 and a silhouette of a basketball player which bears more than a passing resemblance to the iconic "Jumpman" logo used by Nike in its Air Jordan line.
However, last August, the court ruled that "Jordan" is a common surname used by Americans and the logo was in the shape of a person with no facial features, making it "hard" for consumers to identify it as Jordan.
This should be interesting.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Alex Linder in News on May 2, 2016 3:30 PM

[GeneChing]

I'm very tempted to make an indie thread on UM. I so want a pair of these Curry kicks.

NO SHAME: UNCLE MARTIAN BLATANTLY COPIES UNDER ARMOUR STEPH CURRY SHOES
MATT HALFHILL MAY 5, 2016



The hilarity that is the story around Uncle Martian just keeps getting better.

Last week we gave you a glimpse at the new Chinese sportswear company with a very familiar logo to Under Armour, but today we have images of their premier model on the company’s website that appears to be nothing more than the Under Armour Curry Two photoshopped.

What makes matters worse for the lack of originality is that the shoes posted on their site still sport the trademarked “SC” logo on the toe cap and “Charged” cushioning branding on the heel.

Under Armour has stated that they plan to take legal action against the new brand which is owned by a Chinese company with over 25 years in the business.

Lawyer up, Uncle Martian. This is far from over.

H/T Sole Collector

Note that Under Armour is now sponsoring One Championships.

[GeneChing]

OK, that there above is a post title I never could have dreamed up in my wildest imaginative moments.

Over 10 tons of fake jellyfish escape into Chinese market
(People's Daily Online) 17:10, May 09, 2016


The photo show the fake jellyfish (L) and the real jellyfish (R).

Police in eastern China's Huzhou cracked a case involving fake jellyfish, according to a news report in Hangzhou on May 7.
In late April, police officers at the Huzhou Public Security Bureau received a tip that a man surnamed Yuan and the other two people had been making and selling fake jellyfish at a farmer's market in Huzhou for almost a year.
The police seized more than 150 kilograms of artificial jellyfish at the farmer's market on April 22.
The three suspects started making the fake delicacy with sodium alginate, calcium chloride and aluminum sulfate in June of 2015. Since then, they have made more than 70,000 yuan in profits.
Yuan was aware that the fake jellyfish could be unhealthy or even dangerous . However, the production cost of the artificial jellyfish was less than half the cost of processing real jellyfish. In addition, less time is required to produce artificial jellyfish than is needed to process real ones.
Yuan confessed that he had learned the trade from a "master" surnamed Jia in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.
After hearing Yuan’s confession, the Huzhou police officers went to Changzhou and arrested Jia, along with his two accomplices. The officers also seized 1 ton of fake jellyfish.
Within a year, Jia and his assistants were capable of producing more than 10 tons of fake jellyfish for a profit of more than 100,000 yuan.
An investigation into the whereabouts of the remaining fake jellyfish is underway.



Police officers bust the fake jellyfish production area.



The fake jellyfish are made from sodium alginate, calcium chloride and aluminum sulfate.
(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Editor:Ma Xiaochun,Bianji)

[GeneChing]

Who is to say the U.S. doesn't do the same thing? It would certainly explain this year's presidential election.

China Fakes 488 Million Social Media Posts a Year: Study
Shai Oster beijingscribe
May 19, 2016 — 12:30 AM PDT

China’s government fabricates about 488 million social media comments a year -- nearly the same as one day of Twitter’s total global volume -- in a massive effort to distract its citizens from bad news and sensitive political debates, according to a study.
Three scholars led by Gary King, a political scientist at Harvard University who specializes in using quantitative data to analyze public policy, ran the first systematic study of China’s online propaganda workers, known as the Fifty Cent Party because they are popularly believed to be paid by the government 50 Chinese cents for every social media post.
Contrary to popular perception inside China, the Fifty Cent Party avoids engaging in debates with critics and doesn’t make fun of foreign governments. Instead, it mostly works to distract public attention away from hot topics by highlighting the positive, cheering the state, symbols of the regime, or the Communist Party’s revolutionary past.
"In retrospect, this makes a lot of sense -- stopping an argument is best done by distraction and changing the subject rather than more argument -- but this had previously been unknown,” King said in an e-mail.
Although those who post comments are often rumored to be ordinary citizens, the researchers were surprised to find that nearly all the posts were written by workers at government agencies including tax and human resource departments, and at courts. The researchers said they found no evidence that people were paid for the posts, adding the work was probably part of the employees’ job responsibilities. Fifty Cent Party is a derogatory term since it implies people are bought off cheaply.
About half of the positive messages appear on government websites, and the rest are injected into the 80 billion social media posts that enter China’s Internet. That means one of every 178 social media posts on China’s micro blogs is made up by the government, the researchers said.
The team based their findings on leaked archives of 2013 and 2014 e-mails from the Internet Propaganda Office of Zhanggong, a county-level district of nearly half a million people in Ganzhou City, in Jiangxi, a province in southeast China. The archive included a mix of multiple e-mail formats, programs and attachments that required King and his team to build customized computer code to crack the archive and deploy automated text analysis and extraction.
They pulled out 2,341 e-mails of which more than half contained a Fifty Cent post, totaling 43,797 posts that formed a benchmark for identifying other propaganda posts. They were able to identify Fifty Centers by cross referencing names from leaked e-mails with online social media profiles.
They found the name, contact information, and even photographs of many of the authors but chose not to disclose them because it didn’t serve an academic purpose, they said.
The timing of the posts showed coordinated control. Typically, the Fifty Cent Party workers would go into action right after some kind of social unrest or protest and try to distract public opinion with a wave of social media that researchers said was “interesting, but innocuous and unrelated topic.”
For example, they found 1,100 posts touting the China Dream, local economic development following the July 2013 riots in Xinjiang, or pegged to senior politicians’ gatherings in Beijing.
“Many revolutionary martyrs fought bravely to create the blessed life we have today! Respect to these heroes,” read one post cited in the study.
People also criticized the West and drew favorable comparisons to China.
“On one hand, the US publicly asserts that if China does not perish the West will wither; on the other it tells the Chinese people: your government is problematic, you have to overthrow it so you can live better lives than you do today. I can ask, is there a more ridiculous and contradictory logic than this?” another poster wrote.
After analyzing the database they created from the leaked accounts, researchers used machine learning to find other Fifty Cent posts in other parts of China. Volunteers in China set up Weibo micro blog accounts to try to contact Fifty Centers to verify if they worked for the government.
“Of course, the difficulties of interpreting these answers is complicated by the fact that our survey respondents are conducting surreptitious operations on behalf of the Chinese government designed to fool users of social media into thinking that they are ordinary citizens,” the researchers said in their paper, “and we are asking them about this very activity.”
They researchers said they deduced the rules for the messages: First, don’t engage in controversial issues. Second, stop discussion about potential collective or street protests by active distraction. Allowing some dissent serves the purpose of letting the regime gauge public opinion on local leaders, they concluded, while complete censorship only serves to stir up anger.
“The main threat perceived by the Chinese regime in the modern era is not military attacks from foreign enemies but rather uprisings from their own people,” they said.
Revealing a paternalistic approach, the guiding policy of China’s Fifty Cent Party appears to be that distraction is better than conflict. “Letting an argument die, or changing the subject, usually works much better than picking an argument and getting someone’s back up (as new parents recognize fast),” they wrote.

[GeneChing]

I thought we already had a thread on this somewhere, but I can't find it. It might be buried in some other thread. If it is found and pointed out to me, I'll merge.

Lionsgate’s ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Knockoff Looks Even Worse Than It Sounds
By Amid Amidi | 05/23/2016 4:34 pm

Lionsgate will release The Adventures of Panda Warrior on DVD, Digital HD, and on-demand August 2. The Kung Fu Panda cash-in is actually a 2012 Chinese film called The Adventures of Jinbao, which is (by some accounts) a continuation of the Jackie Chan feature Little Big Soldier. A Chan caricature appeared in the original film, though he is not promoted in the newly released American trailer:



In the Americanized version Rob Schneider voices Patrick, the panda lead. (Schneider was also the voice of the titular character in Lionsgate’s Norm of the North, released theatrically last January.) Other voices including Haylie Duff, Norm MacDonald, Lauren Elizabeth, and Spongebob’s voice Tom Kenny. Here’s the synopsis:

When Patrick (Schneider), a peaceful soldier from ancient China, is magically transported to Merryland and turned into a Panda, he must join forces with Peggy the flying pig (Elizabeth), GoGo the daring goat (Duff), and King Leo the courageous lion (MacDonald) in order to free the once-peaceful world from the tyranny of the evil nine-headed snake that has enslaved them.

[GeneChing]

...and Parthenon too!

Another copycat Sphinx rises from the sands of Lanzhou, fake Parthenon too



One Sphinx bites the dust, another rises from the sands, such is the rhythm of life in the Middle Kingdom.
Once a major trading hub on the Silk Road, Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, has finally managed to put itself back on the map with a knockoff Sphinx and a knockoff Parthenon. These are just the first two of many world wonders planned for the Lanzhou Silk Road Cultural Relics project.
On the bright side, at least this brazen attempt at attracting tourists is working under a bit of historical context. China's most notable copy-Sphinx was suddenly built in 2014 by a movie production company, they would soon flank the Egyptian national treasure with replicas of the Temple of Heaven and Louvre Pyramid (all for just 10 RMB!).
Sadly, the Great Sphinx of Shijiazhuang only stood for less than three years, getting its head lopped up in April of this year, following complaints by Egypt to UNESCO, arguing that the 30-meter-high and 60-meter-long replica was not only inaccurate (being made of steel bars and cement), but that it would also have a negative effect on the country's tourism industry.



With that Sphinx gone, this Great Sphinx of Lanzhou joins the one in Chuzhou (also constructed inside a “world heritage park") as the only remaining traces of ancient Egyptian culture in China. Unless anybody knows of some more?



The Parthenon, however, is unique! Never seen anything else like it in the world for at least two millennia.





Could use a bit of fixing up though.
[Images via China News]

[GeneChing]

We knew about this already, but this article sums it up nicely.

In China, There's Not Just Disney, There's 'Dlsnay' and 'Disnesy' Too
Ahead of New Shanghai Park's Grand Opening, Fakes Are Still Widespread
By Angela Doland. Published on June 02, 2016.


Photo credit: Angela Doland.


Photo credit: Angela Doland.


Photo credit: Angela Doland.


A Chinese movie called "Autobots" reminded many of "Cars." Photo credit: Zhuo Jianrong via Weibo.

In Shanghai's markets, dolls from Disney's "Frozen" peer out of plastic packaging with a bright, wide-eyed gaze. But something's not quite right: The logo on the box uses the same font as Disney, but it says "Denise." Other faux Disney princesses are sold under logos reading "D1snay," "Disnesy" and even "Diversity."
There are just two weeks to go until the $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort opens on June 16. And Chinese officials have promised a massive year-long effort to root out counterfeit Disney merchandise. But a stroll through Shanghai's markets and shops suggests counterfeit Disney products are still rampant.
Fake DVD shops operate openly in storefronts in tony neighborhoods. The fact that DVDs sell for $1.80 is a clue they're not genuine; so are misspellings on the boxes describing the adventures of "Pocabontas" and "Aliced" in Wonderland.
Trademark Protection Zone
Walt Disney Co. is not alone in having a fakes problem in China, where counterfeit Longchamp handbags and Beats by Dre headphones are a common sight in market stalls.
But Disney's situation is unusual in that state-backed Shanghai Shendi Group owns 57% of its new resort. China has skin in the game.
In October, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce promised a one-year effort to protect Disney's trademarks, with an area immediately surrounding the park to get extra care. Soon afterward, five Shanghai hotels were reportedly fined for ripping off Disney's name.
Undeniably, the situation isn't as bad as it once was. In a survey published in January by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, nine out of 10 respondents said IP rights enforcement has improved in the last five years.
At a well-known mall selling fakes on Shanghai's Nanjing West Road, vendors said they would be forced out at the end of June. (Ad Age was unable to confirm that with authorities.) For now, the vendors peddle counterfeit Disney toys under a huge red banner reading: "Strengthen the protection of intellectual property to advance the progress of human civilization."

High-Quality Counterfeits
Lv Guoqiang, director general of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, in April detailed authorities' multipronged approach to fighting Disney fakes. Asked why counterfeits are still out there, he said that "Shanghai is such a big city with such a large population flow, we cannot guarantee that IP infringement will not pop up on some corner."
Ad Age emailed a Disney spokeswoman a list of questions; the company responded with a brief statement, saying that "we protect our intellectual properties vigorously and we take reports of suspected infringement seriously."
Douglas Clark, a Hong Kong-based IP lawyer, believes Disney's problem is exacerbated because it licensed its brand name to many, many parties manufacturing products in Chinese factories. "The potential for leakage is huge," he said. Factories can make more products than they're commissioned to and sell those high-quality counterfeits out the back door; they're very hard to catch.
Cheap Disney stuffed animals and other products often pop up on China's eBay-like Taobao platform. And for consumers, it's hard to know what's genuine. The platform is owned by Alibaba Group, which has faced accusations about not doing enough to root out fakes. In response to questions, Alibaba noted that its anti-counterfeiting system processes 100 million pieces of data per second, and that in 2015, it blocked and removed 120 million suspicious product listings on Taobao.
Piracy, like fakes, remains a big issue in China, though legal streaming services have gained ground. There have also been big box office successes, like "Zootopia," which Disney has said grossed over $235 million in China as of May 10. There are copycats too. Last year, a Chinese animated movie called "The Autobots" reminded many of "Cars," the hit release by Disney's Pixar unit. Director Zhua Jianrong retorted that he'd never seen the film. A sequel is set for next year, CNN has said.

Strategy Shift
Howard Yu, a professor of strategy and innovation at IMD business school in Switzerland, says Disney has a strong history of working with government at all levels on IP rights. But the company has also been shifting its strategy away from content and products to providing experiences. "Experiences are always more difficult to copy," he said.
One example of that is Disney's English language schools for children in China, which tap into the aspirations of parents and bring Disney characters into the classroom, Mr. Yu said. The schools, launched in 2008 and now present in nine Chinese cities, have brought revenue, cultivated educated consumers and, more importantly, "seeded the demand for an authentic Disney experience," he said.
Shanghai Disneyland is the culmination of that logic, which is also why Apple, Lego and Louis Vuitton have built grand flagship stores in China. "They are the physical presence to educate consumers on what a 'true' experience should feel like," Mr. Yu said.
Last year, an official Disney Store—the world's largest—finally opened in Shanghai, with a turreted castle inside. On a recent morning, accountant Huang Liping bought a cup and bag for her young daughter. College student Zhang Chunlei selected a friendship necklace. A couple from the coastal city of Dalian came away with a schoolbag for their seven year old. Everyone envisioned trips to the new theme park, and they all took countless selfies, too.