Shoddy Knockoff Product: Difference between revisions
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* Those drugs/medicines which spam e-mails insist are from an "[[Blatant Lies|online Canadian pharmacy]]". Most often, there is no Canadian connection; drug costs are significantly lower in Canada hence the moniker. In ''Spam Nation'', cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs identifies the digital mafia behind the two largest spam pharmacies as [[The Mafiya|Russian]], with the product mostly originating in Southeast Asia. The product exists, but quality is variable... some are the real McCoy, some are knockoffs of variable reliability, some are worthless, some are expired. The only sure thing? Buy from these people, and you will be spammed for the rest of eternity as that marks you as someone who buys dodgy medicine online. And it gets worse as other such stores don't actually have the drugs in stock ''at all'', instead serving as a front for credit card theft.
* A confectionery company in the Philippines called Columbia Food Products came up with their own malt drink named "Chocquick" in 2005. It wasn't before long that Nestle took umbrage and sued<ref>[https://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/dec/1248188.htm Nestle sues Chocquik maker for infringement]</ref> Columbia for trademark infringement, as the packaging bore a suspicious resemblance<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/crappyoffbrands/comments/ga2ztx/when_you_piss_off_nestle_more_than_once/ When you piss off Nestle more than once]</ref> to [[wikipedia:Milo (drink)|Milo]], most especially the green, gold and white colour scheme and the logo itself, though in the case of Chocquik Columbia used a Spencerian script similar to Columbia's corporate logo. It also didn't help that the brand name is similar to Nestle's other chocolate drink product Nesquik. Boxes of Chocquik were seized<ref>[https://www.philstar.com/metro/2006/04/09/330604/p8-million-worth-instant-chocolate-drink-seized P8 million worth of instant chocolate drink seized]</ref> following a search warrant, though the case was eventually dismissed in favour of Columbia,<ref>[https://www.philstar.com/business/2006/07/01/344828/more-infamous-145chocolate-battle146 More on the infamous ‘chocolate battle’]</ref> concluding that "this jurisdiction finds that there is no probably cause that Columbia’s Chocquik products constitute an infringement on Nestle’s trademarks or an act of unfair competition" and Nestle didn't have any exclusive rights to the colour scheme used in Milo.
* Like Khyber Pass in Pakistan, the city of Danao in Cebu, Philippines gained a notoriety for its cottage industry of backyard gunsmiths producing replicas of .38 caliber revolvers and Colt 1911s using scraps such as angle irons commonly used as construction materials. Despite appearing to be well made, with some examples even bearing markings taken from American firearms, they are otherwise reported to be of poor quality, lacking rifling and are deemed to be more dangerous to the ''shooter'' than ''their target'', no thanks to the fact that these "paltik" guns as they are known locally are made using basic tools such as files and hacksaws, with checks for accuracy being rudimentary at best. A number of these guns are unfortunately been in use<ref>[https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/667019/illegal-paltik-gun-making-industry-thrives-in-danao-cebu/story/ Danao's ‘paltik’ gun-making industry continues to thrive]</ref> by street gangs and drug fiends in gang wars and drug deals, though according to local gunsmiths in Danao, despite their seedy reputation they had no other choice but to [[I Did What I Had to Do|continue doing what they do best]] for decades as it helped them put food on their table, even if it meant either living under constant fear of police raids or the equally constant guilt of having someone killed using the firearms they made. There has been some efforts at legitimising the firearms industry in Danao, though, and one such gunsmith has petitioned [[Rodrigo Duterte]]–whose father's family is from Danao and whose cousin is currently serving as its mayor–to help legalise the gun-making industry in Danao and thus curb the spread of loose firearms through regulation.
{{reflist}}
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