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Isn't there an old saying that "Imitation is the best form of flattery?" I guess it says something about American ingenuity and engineering if everybody in the world wants to copy it!
It's a much more widespread problem than just the USA!
Its not just the import copies that are out there, its all over with the US companies as well. Large companies with deep pockets will look at Ebay & other places where small guys sell their inventions, find something they like & go copy it... with minor changes.
Even worse is when a large manufacturing company steals their ideas directly from the products that they make for their customer, then start selling them as a competing business.
This has been a process since the days of old. One invention spawns a dozen copies. It will never be stopped because many people only care about the price and not who makes it or where its made.
I was common on Okinawa Japan for servicemen to buy knock off Rolex watches. Although they didn't look bad from a distance all you had to do was look at the second hand as it ticked instead of swept and the gig was up.
Hehehe - I thought I had made out clean with a bunch of Polo shirts I bought from a little shop in Kinville. As it turned out, however, the horses were all missing a leg each.
To the OP. Search Tiawan Ted. He pretty much invented the garbage Harley aftermarket knockoff. He has been buying quality American made products for decades, then sending them overseas to be reverse engineered, produced for pennies on the dollar, and resold to us. Most everything he steals turns out to be cheap crap. But the US consumer buys his junk hand over fist. Then look at KC INT and American Classic on ebay. Same deal.
I used to have an electronics engineering a manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. One day at a trade show I had a Korean fellow come up to my booth and take a few photos of one of my circuit boards. The very next year he was back at the trade show with his own booth selling an exact copy of my design, nothing you can do about it.
Its not just the import copies that are out there, its all over with the US companies as well. Large companies with deep pockets will look at Ebay & other places where small guys sell their inventions, find something they like & go copy it... with minor changes.
Even worse is when a large manufacturing company steals their ideas directly from the products that they make for their customer, then start selling them as a competing business.
This has been a process since the days of old. One invention spawns a dozen copies. It will never be stopped because many people only care about the price and not who makes it or where its made.
JMO
The big major difference in these guys copying designs from American manufacturers big or small...is customer service. I bought a wind shield from you guys for my Street Glide while I was deployed. I emailed you concerned about the return policy if I didn't like it (I was going to be home long after the grace period ran out). You told me you would take it back even after the grace period (baring no scratches or damage of course) since I was downrange. It ended up being perfect for me and I didn't have to return it...but you got a customer for life. I will, and have bought cheap knock off's. But I will always go with the small guy with good customer service if I can.
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