Canadian inventor of the 'Selfie-Stick' talks about the toll of cheap counterfeits knock-offs

[momcqueen]

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/canadian-selfie-stick-inventor-new-device-1.3980957

New selfie gadget coming, with fresh strategy to fight copycats - Business - CBC News

The Toronto entrepreneur credited with creating the selfie stick has experienced the highs and the lows of inventing a wildly successful product.

Among the highs? "Seeing it used on stage by the Beach Boys," says Wayne Fromm.

"Also making it on Oprah's The O list, the Today show, The Tonight Show, Ellen — and selling out all the inventory on The Shopping Channel."  

The lows came when unscrupulous manufacturers cashed in on the exploding popularity of the device, cranking out cheap knock-offs.

No one seemed to care that Fromm had a patent for his invention, which he named the Quik Pod, dating back to 2005 — two years before the debut of the wildly popular iPhone put cameras in everyone's pockets.

[momcqueen]

When counterfeit-purchasing consumers talk about buying cheap counterfeit knock-offs of merchandise, they speak as if it's a victimless crime because they're saving money by avoiding the large corporations that legally manufacture it. 

I like that this article shows that simplified view of the world of business is not the actual case. People do get hurt by it. Like the inventors and patent-holders who are real, actual people that deserve to get paid for their real, actual work. Such as this fellow Canadian who few of us knew existed. (Along with many others, you have to think, the inventors and designers who are responsible for bringing us all the products we use and/or covet daily.)

My advice? Don't buy counterfeits. They are illegal for a reason. And it's not a victim-less crime. 

[momcqueen]

More on the topic of the reason that counterfeit products are dangerous in every possible way. Just because I can't seem to leave this topic alone. Note the part where not only is the item counterfeit but made of questionable material by organized crime.

http://mashable.com/2017/02/17/fake-makeup-china-factories/?utm_cid=hp-n-3#mZS_MGaV_qqb

Huge syndicate making millions of fake branded cosmetics gets busted in China

By Yvette Tan20 hours ago

Image: Kainulainen/REX/Shutterstock

You might want to check the label of that perfume bottle carefully.

Police in China have uncovered seven underground dens in Zhejiang manufacturing brand-name cosmetics, from big names like Chanel and Lancome.

In a raid conducted earlier this month, they found over 1,200 boxes of counterfeit makeup worth some $120 million (827 million yuan). 

All the seven dens were run by a syndicate.

[momcqueen]

Also note I didn't even have to go looking for these articles. They just appeared in the news aggregate I read. 

http://mashable.com/2017/01/17/chinese-factory-produces-toxic-food/?utm_cid=a-seealso#quEU3gs9baqT

A ring of 50 Chinese factories making fake, toxic brand name sauces has been discovered

By Yvette TanJan 17, 2017

Many of the fake sauces are from popular supermarket brands.

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Another food scandal has been uncovered in China.

A group of some 50 factories have been found to be manufacturing artificial sauces and flavourings, some with illegal ingredients, in the Chinese city of Tianjin, the Beijing News reports.