Is Your PSP Real? China and Its Fake Electronics and Cars

In China, fake electronic goods and handphones are outselling the originals and even pushing them out of the market, reports Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo. When LG Electronics released its Chocolate phone in the Chinese market in May, copies had already been available for some time. An LG Electronics staff member said: 'The Chinese people think it's LG Electronics that manufactures the fakes.

Another example is the PSP. Rumoured to be coming out with in a version that contains a standard GSM mobile phone, a Chinese manufacturer came out with a phone that is almost identical to the PSP, although not as wide, with a stack of pirated Nintendo games thrown in.

Chosun.com says:
'Companies here say they can do little about the thriving counterfeit industry in China. Most of the companies involved in the business are very small and hard to crack down on as they work in a cut-and-run way. There are dozens of such businesses in China: they hire highly skilled engineers to make counterfeit products that are virtually as good as the originals within one or two months of their release.'

Hyundai Motor is considering legal action against a Chinese carmaker that presented a SUV that in parts looks identical to the new-model Santa Fe at the 2006 Beijing Auto Show. A Hyundai official said the Korean auto giant will take legal action if the Chinese copycat adversely affects sales of the new Santa Fe in China.

The Electronic Industries Association of Korea (EIAK) said Sunday it plans to set up a committee that will tackle the menace to minimize further damage for domestic companies. EIAK will investigate the losses to domestic makers of mobile phones, MP3 players and other electronics products.

In Shanghai, the local government claimed a victory when it recently shut a famous market, where 80 percent of goods sold were said to be fake.

In a recent test at a U.K. airport FedEx facility, two black Labradors named Lucky and Flo were 100 percent successful in finding DVDs in packages, says Raymond Leinster, director general of FACT.

DVDs sold in China that are fake: 93 percent

And here's an excerpt from CNN:
"The Chinese government didn't want 60 Minutes to bring our cameras, so we did - undercover. Inside, we saw a club that looked and felt like the Great Big Bertha. Not only that, we were offered Callaway irons, putters, golf bags, gloves, and even a Callaway umbrella.

And the best part? What would retail for close to $3,000 in the United States, was being offered to us for $275. Why? Because, as the owner of the shop readily admitted, the whole set was a copy. "