Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs

[GeneChing]

‘Fake general and colonel’ arrested as Chinese authorities target scammers posing as members of army
Pair accused of trying to con millions of US dollars out of members of the public by offering to sell them senior military ranks
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 10 October, 2017, 12:25pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 10 October, 2017, 2:52pm
Mandy Zuo
mandy.zuo@scmp.com



China’s army and police have arrested two people accused of pretending to be senior officers to extort money from members of the public, state media reported.
The arrests in Beijing were the latest in a crackdown since July on impostors masquerading as members of the People’s Liberation Army.
A man, who posed as a general, and a woman, who pretended to be a senior colonel, had claimed that they could make a person a colonel as long as they donated 15 million yuan (US$2.3 million) to a special fund called “Royal Soldier”, China Central Television reported last week.
The man, using a pseudonym and claiming to be the fund’s secretary general, was reported to have confessed that the pair had started the scam at the start of last year.
It was not known whether they had succeeded in getting any money this way.
Authorities also found more than 10 boxes of counterfeit uniforms and regalia at their home, the report said.


Many of those accused of buying fake military items are thought to have used them to commit fraud. Photo: Thepaper.cn

More than 270 people have been detained in similar cases since the launch of the crackdown, spearheaded by a special task force set up by the PLA and the Ministry of Public Security.
More than 15,000 fake uniforms and other items emblazoned with the PLA’s logo were seized during this period.
CCTV said criminals were continuing to manufacture and sell fake army gear and posing as officers despite repeated crackdowns.
According to a previous CCTV report, the authorities raided eight places making or selling counterfeit army uniforms.
Those items were often bought by people who were trying to trick members of the public into donating money in the belief it would benefit members of the PLA.

Not really unique to China. Military impersonation is despicable.

[GeneChing]

They are kidding people who don't normally read the alphabet. Just imagine the reverse using Chinese characters.

Who are they kidding? Hilarious pictures of made-in-China knockoffs show 'Nibe' sneakers, 'Paradi' handbags and 'Owega' watch shops
Counterfeit goods that are made in China took designs and names of the original
They usually sell at a much cheaper price, or being exported to other countries
Pictures emerged showing a collection of different 'Made-in-China' knockoffs
By Tiffany Lo For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 11:22 EDT, 19 October 2017 | UPDATED: 11:21 EDT, 20 October 2017

Over the years, the Chinese commercial market has been expanding and the nation has been exporting goods to other countries.

It's not surprising to see Chinese companies producing counterfeits after some of the world's most famous brands.

Whilst some of these knockoffs might have good quality, others could get so wrong that they appear to be hilarious.

Such fake products range from an Owega (Omega) watch, a pair of Nibe (Nike) shoes to a Pearlboy (Playboy) shop.

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, counterfeit goods that trade from southeast Asia to other countries are worth about 24.4 billion USD ( £18.51 bn) in a year.

Read on below to find out more 'Made in China' knockoffs.


Chinese company Chongqing Lifan made a car model copying BMW's MINI Cooper


A Playboy-like clothing brand called Pearlboy that sells down jackets in China


The headphone set is printed with a trademark which was supposed to say 'Sony'


Because everything looks better when it's complete: The AEIPPIE logo is not bitten off


Corcs clogs! These popular shoes looks as real as the official brand, but not the spelling


Will young people have more fun playing Grand Theft Auto on their POP Station Portable?


The fake Heineken, called Heimekem (left), guarantees that customers would enjoy premium quality. Mr Jack Daniel would not approve for this knock-off version whiskey (right)

continued next post

[GeneChing]

When Panasonic battery marks to perform 'super heavy duty', a PenesamiG battery can only be used for 'general purpose'


Devils wear Paradi? Copying a similar font as the luxurious Prada, Paradi offers casual wear


Two horses, one message: This jeans brand gives a cartoon-like imitation of the Levi Strauss & Co classic trademark


Impossible is nothing: Chinese workers have redesigned the logo of German sports brand Adidas in many amusing way (left and right)


Just do it! The signature swoosh of Nike is being used as the Chinese knock-off 'Nire'


Don't mind the swoosh! This shop, Nibe, changes the name and design of popular brand Nike


Because one swoosh is not enough, you need two to swirl around a basketball

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Nobody's Lovin' It! A jewellery and jade shop used the iconic McDonald's yellow arches


When Burger King said you can 'have it your way', King Burger surely takes the word in account (left). If you can't afford an Omega, try this Owega store (right)


A value pack of fake Gillette', called GilnGhey, that comes with a razor, blades and shaving cream (left); China's clothing brand 'HengHee' took the inspiration from Lacoste (right)

Knock Offs - Made in China of course.[

[GeneChing]

Kids’ craze for ‘counterfeit’ currency bookmarks could be illegal, China’s central bank says
Authorities may take action as retailer in central Chinese province admits to selling almost US$1,000 worth of ‘fake notes’ annually
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 31 October, 2017, 10:01am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 31 October, 2017, 10:00am
Alice Shen



A craze among schoolchildren in central China for collecting bookmarks printed to look like Chinese and US banknotes could be against the law, according to local media.
In a report by Changsha Evening Daily on Monday, the mother of a fourth-grader in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, said she spotted one of the “billionaire bookmarks” when she was checking her son’s homework.
The boy said that he and his classmates bought the notes from local shops and traded and collected them with friends. It was the hottest craze in school, he said.
While the printing on the notes closely replicates the look of genuine yuan and US dollar notes, their size and form – some come in the classic cartoon shape of a dog’s bone – clearly suggest they are intended for nothing other than fun.
“They look exactly like real paper money,” the mother, surnamed Zuo, was quoted as saying, “only in different shapes”.
However, that does not appear to be sufficient for the local branch of the People’s Bank of China, an official from which was quoted as saying that it was illegal to reproduce Chinese banknotes and that it reserved the right to take legal action.
The owner of a shop near a school in Changsha said he sold about a dozen packs of the banknotes a week, with each pack of 24 retailing for 10 yuan (US$1.50). Based on the South China Morning Post’s calculations, his share of the “counterfeiting” business would therefore be more than 6,200 yuan a year.
The report did not say if he would face any criminal charges.
Most people on social media found the claims of counterfeiting baffling.
“The regulation is too strict,” one person wrote.
“Schools use them as teaching aids in maths class. That can’t be illegal,” said another.

So would this be fake counterfeits?

[GeneChing]

NOT 10K after all.

World's priciest whisky bought by Chinese millionaire revealed to be fake


Zhang Wei, centre, splashed out £7,600 on the world's most expensive whisky shot in the Waldhaus am See hotel in St Moritz, Switzerland CREDIT: SANDRO BERNASCONI

Nicola Smith, taipei
2 NOVEMBER 2017 • 12:48PM

When Chinese millionaire, Zhang Wei, splashed out £7,600 on the world’s most expensive whisky shot in a Swiss bar, he boasted to his fans that it was the same age as his great, great grandmother would have been – 139 years old.

Unfortunately for the martial arts fantasy writer, the headlines generated not only admiration, but suspicion by experts who doubted the authenticity of the spirit’s true provenance when they spotted discrepancies in the bottle’s cork and label.

An analysis from Scottish experts has now confirmed that Mr Zhang was unwittingly duped into buying a fake dram, and the Waldhaus am See hotel in St Moritz has recently flown its manager, Sandro Bernasconi, to China to reimburse him, reported the BBC.


Analysis has shown the whisky was not as advertised CREDIT: DAVID CHESKIN/PA WIRE

The whisky had been poured from an unopened bottle labelled as an 1878 Macallan single malt, and Mr Zhang’s shot is believed to have been the largest sum ever paid for a poured dram of Scotch. Had the bottle been genuine, it would have been worth £227,000.

When doubts emerged about its provenance, the hotel sent the whisky to specialists in Dunfermline who carried out carbon dating tests that showed it was probably made between 1970 and 1972. Further lab tests revealed it was probably a blended a Scotch and not a single malt.

Mr Bernasconi flew to China to break the bad news to Mr Zhang and to pay him back but he said the author was not angry. “He thanked me very much for the hotel’s honesty,” he told the BBC.

Wuxia writing + whiskey = fake

[GeneChing]

This is really intriguing. I'm trying to imagine the reverse - like an American copycat of the Three Kingdoms videogame with embedded core capitalist values. What would the core capitalist values be? Are there core capitalist values?

Chinese copycats of the world’s hottest videogame added “core socialist values”


“Never forget why you started, and you can accomplish your mission.” (Wildness Action)

WRITTEN BY Zheping Huang
November 16, 2017

You’ve logged onto your favorite game, and you’re ready to shoot and kill your enemies. Before being parachuted into the battleground, you see a banner hanging over your head that reads: “Never forget why you started, and you can accomplish your mission.”
It’s Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s newest catchphrase, taken from his work report presented at a recently concluded Communist Party congress.
Survival-shooter game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is the hottest videogame of the year, selling over 13 million copies globally, and Chinese companies are racing against one another to create their own copycats of it. Chief among them is a mobile version titled Wildness Action, which recently took the top spot in China’s iOS store.

In the latest update of the game, released by gaming company NetEase this week, red banners with slogans reflecting China’s “core socialist values” are emblazoned everywhere from buildings to bridges to containers. Another slogan, “Safeguard national security, safeguard world peace,” can also be seen in the game.

View image on Twitter
Lulu Yilun Chen ✔@luluyilun
Logged on Chinese copycat of #PUBG to shoot some heads, found it festooned with “socialist core value” banners. Ingenuity of Chinese co.s
8:05 PM - Nov 14, 2017
7 7 Replies 34 34 Retweets 47 47 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

It’s a vivid example of the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to both expand and control the country’s tech sector and internet. As Xi noted in his work report, “East, west, north, or south, the Party leads everything.”

NetEase added the slogans as part of its overhaul of the game’s narrative. Previously the game was about fighting to be the last survivor on a deserted island; now, it is presented as a military drill for soldiers who’ll be recruited for China’s peacekeeping operations. That said, the key elements of the play mode remain the same, and are still uncannily similar to that of PUBG.

The changes came after China’s media watchdogs took aim at PUBG and similar survival games, saying they are unlikely to get a license to officially launch in China because they contain too much blood and gore. The violent, competitive spirit behind such games is “against our country’s core socialist values… and bad for teenagers’ physical and mental health,” according to a notice from China’s official video copyright association in October.

In response, NetEase published a notice (link in Chinese) saying that the company would comply with official instructions to modify its own survival games, ensuring that they convey core socialist values.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi—which also operates a PUBG-esque mobile game titled Xiaomi Gunfight—released a statement this week (link in Chinese) saying that it would work with censors to modify the game. “Our main theme is to safeguard world peace and defend the motherland,” the company said.

Xiaomi Gunfight didn’t include slogans with socialist values in the game, but also changed the story to depict a military drill. In the latest version, players who are shot in head don’t die; they simply get “eliminated” from the training.
screenshots of PUBG-like games


From top to bottom: screenshots from PUBG, Wildness Action, and Xiaomi Gunfight.

NetEase and Xiaomi didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment. In response to the Chinese regulator’s October notice, Chang Han Kim, CEO of PUGB Corp, a subsidiary of PUGB’s South Korean developer, said: “We respect the decisions of all review boards, and we look forward to working with them to bring PUBG to as many fans as possible around the world.”

Chinese social-media and gaming giant Tencent is also launching its PUBG-like mobile game this month—Glorious Mission: Mission Action has already garnered more than 4 million pre-registrations on its official site.

[GeneChing]

'Fake parents' offer themselves as stand-ins to meet teachers... and lovers


Chinese students looking to avoid embarrassment on parents' evenings can rent mum or dad for the occasion CREDIT: AFP

Neil Connor, beijing
10 DECEMBER 2017 • 1:02PM

China is well known as the home of the rented boyfriends and rented bridesmaids, but now stand-in parents are offering their services, for when you just can’t abide teachers – or lovers – meeting the real ones.

Offering stand-in help for anything from a tricky school parents’ evening to that awkward first encounter between the new girlfriend and mum and dad, fake parents believe they can ward off potential social catastrophes – temporarily at least.

“Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who wants to meet your parents but you actually don’t want them to meet?” asks one advert on the Chinese Internet.

The Global Times newspaper, which said the service is usually charged at 50 yuan (£5.60) an hour - spoke to a rent-a-parent who takes his "profession" very seriously indeed.

"I study psychology," the fake dad told the newspaper. “No matter how nasty your teacher gets, I won't get angry.”

Young Chinese who are seeking fake parents are also posting on the Chinese web.

"A rented parent is needed,” said one comment. “Just need to make a phone call to my teacher."

Another asked: "Is there anyone in Shanghai who can be rented as parents to have a meal with my girlfriend?"

China is experiencing massive social changes, but most people are still deeply conservative.

Many marriages are arranged – even in the modern cities – and parents are often involved in their children’s relationships from an early stage.

It is unclear how many of the postings relating to ‘rented parents’ are people authentically seeking help, but China has a booming trade in renting people for a range of ‘personal’ services.

Boyfriends and girlfriends are rented over the New Year holiday period by singletons who want to put a stop to intrusive questions from parents.

Bridesmaids are also for hire in China, where wedding’s can often get out of hand and bridesmaids can be subjected to sexual harassment and physical abuse.

Chinese media also reported this week the growing trend of people using ‘rent me’ apps to offer themselves as friends.

Additional reporting by Christine Wei

What a funny job...

[GeneChing]

I'm only posting this because I like the title of this post that I just made up. Honestly, I can't even wrap my head about what this is and why they are making so much bank with it in China.

“CryptoKitties” clones are already popping up in China


Copycats. (PetsChain)

WRITTEN BY Josh Horwitz Zheping Huang
January 08, 2018

Last month, the global cryptocurrency community flocked en masse to CryptoKitties, a game that lets users breed and trade virtual kittens using ethereum, a virtual currency like bitcoin. At one point, 12% of all ethereum transactions were going toward the game, as users spent the equivalent of tens (and possibly hundreds) of thousands of dollars on the virtual felines.

Chinese crypto enthusiasts have been left out of the fun, however. Playing CryptoKitties requires using a wallet service called MetaMask, an extension for the Chrome browser. Downloading MetaMask requires access to the Chrome web store, which is blocked by the Great Firewall—there are ways around that, but it’s a hassle.

To fill the absence, a number of CryptoKitties clones have popped up in China—highlighting pent-up demand for the game, as well as Chinese companies’ tendency to ape a fad that’s heating up elsewhere.

In recent days, news hit Chinese media that NetEase, one of China’s largest game distributors, will release a game entitled Beckoning Cat, named after the feline figurines often found in Chinese and Japanese homes and restaurants. Details remain scarce—NetEase offered only a website showing a cat silhouette and text reading “Blockchain pet cats, collect limited supply, coming soon!”


Virtual felines coming soon. (NetEase)

It’s unclear how the game will work, or when exactly it will be released. NetEase did not respond to Quartz’s requests for comment. But if it is taking cues from CryptoKitties, it won’t be the first Chinese company to do so, as at least two others have beaten it to the punch.

A firm calling itself PetsChain launched a title called Cloud Petstore late last year. The company did not respond to Quartz’s emailed questions. Aside from the Chinese language and other localized tweaks, it closely resembles CryptoKitties—the cats themselves look lifted from the original. The title currently lists 3,735 felines for sale (compared to CryptoKitties’ 96,684), and a quick scan of the prices suggests most “Gen 0” characters—the pet-breeding game’s first-generation felines—are selling for about 0.02 ethereum (roughly $25).


Virtual cats offered in “Cloud Petstore.” (PetsChain)

And then there’s the cryptodogs, which can be bred and traded in a game called Pet Planet, launched last week. That title is based on Tron, a blockchain-based platform for digital entertainment content started in September. Tron features a virtual currency called tronix that’s experienced a meteoric rise since the end of last year, becoming the world’s best-performing cryptoasset in the first week of 2018.

Cryptodogs in Pet Planet can be traded among gamers at a fixed price of 200 tronix, which is about $35. In an upcoming update, players will be able to marry their dogs to each other, after which they’ll give birth to a cryptopuppy. The dogs come in different breeds and costumes, and have names that describe their looks, such as “Gangster Boss” and “Little Lion.” The game is currently available only in Chinese.


Virtual dogs in “Pet Planet.” (tron.game.com)

Tron founder and CEO Justin Sun is a 27-year-old tech entrepreneur based in Beijing. Before starting his own businesses, he worked as a chief representative for Ripple, now one of the world’s fastest-growing virtual currency systems, in greater China.

It’s not uncommon for Chinese companies to launch copycat versions of games that become popular globally, especially when Chinese gamers are locked out of playing the original. In July 2016, barred from playing Pokemon Go, Chinese users instead played City Elves Go, a knockoff that stripped away the augmented-reality features. Last year, while the global gaming community flocked to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Chinese users played copycats like NetEase’s Wildness Action, which peppered the gameplay area with propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party.

[GeneChing]

Jan 26
Can you tell the difference between China’s fake Paris and the real thing?
These photos comparing a real estate development outside of Hangzhou with Paris have gone viral on Chinese social media

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*JXgbKjccOYSoReqsSI4ZIQ.jpeg[/IMG]

China’s “Little Paris” is making headlines once again after a photo series went viral on Chinese social media this week comparing the town’s sights with those of the real deal.

Opened back in 2007, the development of Tianducheng (天都城), located near Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, is filled with Parisian architecture, complete with replicas of the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. It’s one of China’s many “replica cities,” which often seem populated more by couples shooting pre-wedding photos than actual home-owners.

In 2016, it served as the eerie backdrop for a Jamie xx music video.

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*xiYRI-K14hPhkwlLO71ZKQ.png[/IMG]

And it also has caught the attention of French photographer François Prost, who has documented the striking similarities between Paris and Tianducheng in a photo series called “Paris Syndrome.”

You can view some of Prost’s photos below. See if you can figure out which is which…

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*T4E80V2CzsSItTW9OQI6ZQ.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*JjliLYRy5XinNRqaiCdrog.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*QfLgQs-8FULeWL-e-dMzJQ.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*X9fy7I5t3SDmTwB_W85oRQ.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*5dgtZ0HoNu8eN8yPRO6PfQ.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*BSwsZOEXG1MHhMI-NO0ItA.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*YEafjvyzGKrAyr7dtrjx2Q.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*bFhko_ynlpv9ZOU17WqQvQ.jpeg[/IMG]

continued next post

[GeneChing]

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*UpoGFJ3aYvQ8EFQq2MQlOQ.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*e8pUTBaAN1BsTjxSmUseqg.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*9KiSHaXxhW544FTTaiKsSQ.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*qsoEkWjYpVR-Mhx1bpHnCw.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*xrpF8PfJGoR95q9A7DP5kA.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*w6oHvjYzJCsuncA5wtmXIA.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*LzBUppDMptl5qCR5-NVUrA.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*fYiny1iSv4Pdy7G2-EiQvA.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*xdW0cwNv7vtPeTs7tKOxkA.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*dQS6oKifTdXnz7Ibw7Sa9w.jpeg[/IMG]

In case you failed to pick up on the clues, we’ll now inform you that the photos on the left are from Tianducheng, while photos on the right are from Paris.

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*g48FfKuCVuaMXJsFzCiJPw.jpeg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*mbaCrnBYm6r32ymsh_vi_w.jpeg[/IMG]

This series of images hit Weibo earlier this week and was met with a mix of mirth and shame with one web user joking that the development was built in retribution for French troops looting and destroying the Old Summer Palace more than 150 years ago.

Here are a few more comments from the same thread:

“Where else can you see the Eiffel Tower and Versailles within walking distance but in China?”

“No matter what you build, there is nothing we cannot imitate.”

“The French can also go ahead and start work on the Great Wall.”

[Images via François Prost]

I've never been to Paris. It's on my bucket list for sure.

[GeneChing]

With all the weird fakes on this thread lately, it's nice to see a classic resurface...

Haul of 6,000 fake designer handbags found in shipping container in Hong Kong
Stash, which arrived from mainland China en route to Chile, had an estimated value of HK$850,000
PUBLISHED : Friday, 02 February, 2018, 8:34pm
UPDATED : Friday, 02 February, 2018, 8:34pm
Clifford Lo



Customs officers in Hong Kong confiscated about 6,000 fake designer handbags and wallets hidden in a shipping container that arrived from mainland China destined for Chile, they announced on Friday.

They searched the container after it arrived from Huangpu, Guangdong province, on Monday.

During the inspection at the Customs Cargo Examination Compound in Tuen Mun, officers found 5,000 suspected counterfeit handbags and 1,000 suspected counterfeit wallets, according to the Customs and Excise Department. The haul had an estimated market value of HK$850,000 (US$110,000).

In Hong Kong importing or exporting any goods with a forged trademark carries a maximum penalty of a five-year jail term and a HK$500,000 fine.

In a separate incident on Thursday night, customs officers arrested four men aged between 31 and 59, seizing about 32,000 pirated DVDs and pornographic DVDs from four shops during an anti-piracy operation in Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok.

“Customs has been carrying out stringent enforcement actions against the sales of infringing goods and will continue to step up patrols and enforcement actions against piracy activities during the Lunar New Year holidays,” a spokesman for the department said.

Thread: Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs
Thread: 2018 Year of the EARTH DOG

[GeneChing]

Not sure this counts. Maybe as a Knock-Off FAIL.

Jan 23
Chengdu has its own knockoff version of London’s Tower Bridge — and it’s butt-ugly
This is not the first Tower Bridge ‘replica’ to be built in China, but it’s certainly the worst

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*saUKDGUuxR_3Wfirm4gSHg.jpeg[/IMG]

Photos have hit the Chinese internet of a less-than-faithful “replica” of one of the world’s most iconic bridges.

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*LhNsp4kK-3qA5de2hBJQfg.jpeg[/IMG][IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*tWXlaKkqWTNdHI91pHpuKQ.jpeg[/IMG]

Spanning across a river in Chengdu’s Tianfu New Area, a plaque near this modern marvel claims that its design, featuring eight, red “European-style” steeples, was inspired by London’s Tower Bridge.

Work on the bridge began back in 2012 and it was finally completed recently after many years of construction.

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*1bNNT6T3lR0TTjI6eR8vWA.jpeg[/IMG]

Of course, locals have taken to calling it the “Shanzhai” Tower Bridge, a Chinese term that has become shorthand for fake, copycat, or pirated goods.

Meanwhile, after viewing the photos, netizens have wondered, “What can not be shanzhai’d?”

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*mZ3PlxbsfbojBGfTD4JXkQ.jpeg[/IMG][IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*HwaN1S7EwI6caYRSRmIeFQ.jpeg[/IMG]

In fact, China already has a much more impressive Tower Bridge recreation that is located in Suzhou. Built back in 2012, the bridge is mostly popular with those looking to take some “European-style” wedding photos.

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*qqTAx7hdXqrU9TR43FXe7w.jpeg[/IMG]

For comparison, here’s a photo of the original:

[IMG]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*E0Pr0WiV8kyxvD-er_CxkA.jpeg[/IMG]

[Images via NetEase]

'shanzhai’d' is the word for this here thread.

[GeneChing]

Actually not quite fake - a plagiarist.

Chinese art professor sacked after award-winning poster series found to be plagiarised
Fan Yu has lost his job and his Red Dot design award after it emerged he had borrowed many elements of a work by British illustrator Russell Cobb

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 April, 2018, 4:33pm
UPDATED : Monday, 30 April, 2018, 6:04pm
Sidney Leng
sidney.leng@scmp.com
http://twitter.com/SidneyLeng



A Chinese art professor has been sacked after he was found to have plagiarised the work of a British illustrator for a poster series that won him an international award, a mainland newspaper reports.

The Xian Academy of Fine Arts said Fan Yu was dismissed from his job on Friday after the school confirmed the plagiarism, Chengdu Business Daily reported on Saturday.

Fan’s artwork won the Red Dot: Best of the Best award for communication design in October, but has been stripped of the prize following the revelation, according to the report.

The Red Dot Design Award is an international competition with prizes in categories covering product and communication design that started in Germany in 1955.


Fan Yu’s poster (left) is compared with a work by Russell Cobb (right). Photo: Chaoxiart

The description of Fan’s winning four-part poster series, Open Air Cinema National Museum, said it was designed for the Xian Concert Hall and the drawings “explore how the brain, the ‘strange cavity’, works and processes information with its countless cells and lobes”.

Fan was also promoted by the academy after he won the award.

But last week, concerns were raised online about striking similarities between Fan’s posters and a 2011 work by British artist Russell Cobb, entitled New Ideas II.

A detailed comparison by Chaoxiart, or “the art of plagiarism” – an account on Chinese social media platform WeChat that exposes such cases – showed that Fan had borrowed many elements of Cobb’s work, with the only variations being the use of different colours in some places.


Chinese social media account “the art of plagiarism” put together a detailed comparison of Fan Yu’s work (left) and Russell Cobb’s (right). Photo: Chaoxiart

Chaoxiart said it contacted Cobb, who told them in an email that he had not met or heard of Fan until April 21, when Fan asked him to collaborate on an artwork. Fan had aggressively tried to pursue the collaboration after Cobb discovered his work had been stolen, according to the email posted on Chaoxiart.

Producers of hit TV show about corruption in China facing US$2.7m plagiarism suit

Cobb teaches at the University of the Arts London and was previously chairman of the Association of Illustrators.


Fan Yu borrowed many elements of Russell Cobb’s work for his poster series. Photo: Chaoxiart

In a statement, Xian Concert Hall said it had not worked with or had any contact with Fan and only found out about the poster series on April 24, when the plagiarism was exposed by Chaoxiart. The concert hall said it had not commissioned any such work.

China rises to No. 2 art market as billionaires more than double in 2017, closely watched report says

Red Dot meanwhile said it had removed Fan’s name and artwork from its website after confirming it had been plagiarised and that the client information was fabricated, according to the newspaper report. It said anyone who infringed on copyright would be banned for life from taking part in the award.

[GeneChing]

This is the other edge of this double-edged sword...

JUST LIKE THE REAL THING?
“Unbranded” luxury items in China are like knockoffs, with one vital difference
Marc Bain May 15, 2018


What's in a label? (Michael Reynolds/EPA)

The fashion manufacturers in China have gotten so good that they’ve earned public praise from Miuccia Prada herself (paywall).

Some of these factories are using their prowess and reputation for quality to make products nearly identical to those they’re creating for their foreign clients, including prestigious luxury labels, but selling them unbranded at lower prices in China.

Since 2016, manufacturers for brands including Gucci, Burberry, and more have been working with Chinese technology company NetEase to sell such products on its e-commerce site, Yanxuan. The practice has helped drive the rapid growth of Yanxuan, which is emerging as a big e-commerce player in China.

As Forbes pointed out, products you might find on the site include unbranded boots that look an awful lot like Ugg boots, made by a manufacturer of Uggs. But where actual Uggs might cost a couple hundred dollars on Tmall or JD.com, the boots are more like $45 on Yanxuan.

Pan Xiaoning, director of intellectual property at the Chinese law firm Yingke, told Forbes that this manufacturer would probably be violating the terms of its agreement with Ugg. “A majority of brands would have binding terms with their manufacturers that forbids them to use the brands for third-party promotion, in which case NetEase’s conduct is more likely an infringement,” she said.

While Yanxuan has been described as a “knockoff marketplace,” Jing Daily reports that in certain cases, whether or not the products really are knockoffs can be complicated because of a distinction in how factories may work with brands. Not all of them are simple contract manufacturers hired to stitch together fully-finished designs that brands provide them. They may also participate in developing parts of the design to get it ready for commercial manufacturing, in which case they may claim ownership of the intellectual property.

Steve Dickinson, an attorney who helps foreign companies to do business in China, explained the tricky situation in a blog post for his firm, Harris Bricken. He focused on the simplest type of arrangement, explaining, “In this most fundamental form, the foreign buyer provides drawings and a specification sheet. The Chinese factory does the rest of the work, in consultation with the buyer.”

Whether or not NetEase or the manufacturers are infringing on intellectual property, brands, including Ugg, and organizations such as the American Apparel & Footwear Association aren’t happy with the behavior. But it isn’t likely to soon go away.

The site Biyao, for example, started with a similar idea, except it allowed shoppers to customize products from the same manufacturers producing for top foreign brands. The factories themselves can use it as another source of income, too, at a time when more of them are seeing their manufacturing contracts leave China for lower-wage neighbors.