Shoddy Knockoff Product: Difference between revisions
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* Since Third World Countries are a major trading partner of China, the quality of the knock-off products has become something of a business model. There are several levels of quality, ranging from abysmal to almost as good as the real thing. There was a direct connection between the quality of the items and the affluence of the importer. In theory, this allows everyone to get a taste of the product, albeit in varying qualities. Compare that with original Western products that are good quality but often times over the price range of the average buyer in third world locales such as Sub-Saharan Africa.
* In Brazil and in China (see Engadget's [http://www.engadget.com/tag/kirf/ "Keepin' It Real Fake" section]), cheap knockoffs of smartphones are very common.
** Most of the time, they copy the iPhone, Nokia smartphones or Android-based phones.
* In a similar vein to forged SD cards, surplus units of older-generation Nvidia and AMD video cards such as the GeForce GTX 550 Ti or GTS 450 can be flashed with a hacked BIOS to make it appear as a newer-generation model, often reporting as a "1050 Ti" or something along those lines. While they do more or less work in some cases, they're mostly cut-price trash with (newer) games performing poorly if not crashing outright due to said hacked firmware. (Owing to the fact that the video memory being reported is more than what the card actually has, and in earlier cases with ex-8800 or 9600 cards hacked as a "GTX 770", not being capable of running DirectX 11 games and later) Unfortunately, sites like eBay have been flooded to the brim with these cards, and as what a YouTuber stated,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfhdXb-OjZY Why Are People Still Falling For This... $50 GTX 1050 ti]</ref> it is just as unfortunate and disgusting that the ones selling them are preying on impressionable youths eager to play ''[[Fortnite]]'' on their budget gaming rigs. This may have also been one of the factors that led to GPU manufacturers [[Why Fandom Can't Have Nice Things|locking down]] on BIOS modding, not to mention that it also led to an unfortunate side effect where the Nouveau open-source driver team is unable to implement certain features due to the video BIOS being so locked down tight.
* Subverted with aftermarket clones of Harley-Davidson and Chevrolet engines as while they are effectively unauthorised reproductions of said motors, their quality and performance is either to par with the ones they're imitating, or [[Up To Eleven|surprass the OEM offerings]] by more than a margin. Harley did sue at least two clone manufacturers<ref>[https://powersportsbusiness.com/uncategorized/2005/03/25/h-d-files-suit-against-ss-cycle/ H-D Files Suit Against S&S Cycle]</ref> in the 2000s for alleged patent infringement, but the practice still continues to this day, albeit with S&S having to use names [[Writing Around Trademarks|vaguely reminiscent]] of the original Harley engines they were based of, such as the "T-Series" (no, not that [[T-Series]]) clone of the Twin Cam. One manufacturer did gain a dubious reputation though, specifically the RevTech line of crate engines and transmissions from Custom Chrome--their six-speed gearboxes were described by mechanical engineer and entrepreneur Alan Sputhe, also a purveyor of Harley reproduction engines, as "an engineering abomination". Many a horror story could be found on Harley-Davidson fan forums about its supposed unreliability, and some merely steer clear from them because they're not "American-made" (i.e. made in Korea), though some argued that their quality has improved somewhat over the years.
* [[Shirley Temple]]'s popularity during the 1930s led to both licensed merchandise and counterfeit goods featuring her likeness, such as "an army of unlicensed dolls, clothing and oddities came marching onstage" and even cigars with her face printed on the bands. While she was in retrospect appalled by the "elusive commercial scoundrels" unfairly cashing in on her childhood fame, she concluded that it made no financial sense to go after the counterfeiters considering the costs of litigation and the economy of the time.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130728003531/http://www.oldcrank.com/articles/crapophone/Introduction.html Knockoff "Vintage" phonographs] made in India/China are common on eBay/antique stores. Sometimes, they're correctly labeled and sold as replicas, but some sellers tend to attempt to pass them off as authentic Victor phonographs from the early 20th century. While they look real to the average person, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140216183503/http://www.mainspringpress.com/crapo.html experienced collectors can easily identify them as fakes by the shape of the box, materials used, and parts on the player].
* Mike Mozart of ''[[Jeepers Media]]'' once reviewed a bunch of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtSrPRBCGnM knockoff iPods]. The reality of these things annoyed him a great deal. He strongly recommends the official iPods in this case.
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