"Blockberry" Gets Presidential Endorsement: Not!

[Nurhisham Hussein]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.clonedinchina.com/2009/06/spokeman-obama-and-a-blackberry-storm-9500-clone.html' target='_blank'>http://www.clonedinchina.com/2009/0...9500-clone.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"We all know Obama uses Blackberry phone, and right now the China shanzhai phone maker haff-comm is using this information to promote their new shanzhai phone blockberry 9500 and has Obama's figure appeared in this phone's poster with a slogan 'Obama have Blackberry, I have blockberry'."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/ppct/auto/1245345402.usr14226.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>The phone itself is more than half decent, assuming we can trust the published specs - is that really a SiRFStar III? - but the advertising is, shall we say, using the time-honoured Asian tradition of free-riding on somebody else's brand (and in this case, someone's very well-known face) to sell your own products, right down to the model number and logo. I don't think anyone is really seriously taken in by that particular sleight of hand, but building your own brand can be an expensive and time-consuming business. The temptation to take shortcuts can be very appealing, ethics be damned, especially when there's little-to-no enforcement of IP law. If you weren't aware of it already, this ad neatly encapsulates some of the intellectual property problems in developing countries - I think protection of IP in China is at least another generation away from really being where it should be, and blatant transgressions like this won't be tolerated any more.</p>

[Russ Smith]

During and shortly after the election, a local casino was using the theme "Change You Can Believe In" and an Obama-like silhouette or view from the back. I don't know if Obama staffers became aware of the faux "endorsement," but I do know that the ads came down after some public complaints.

I didn't like it then either. It's way too close to identity theft.

[Reid Kistler]

This is just Hilarious!

(Where is Jay Leno when you need him?)

[jpaq1]

Dear Nurhisham,

What do you mean by "using the time-honoured Asian tradition of free-riding on somebody else's brand"?? Are you saying the WHOLE of Asia is like that? Or ALL Asians are like that? Please do not associate the actions of the people of China with that of the WHOLE of Asia and/or ALL Asians. China is but one country, not the whole freakin' Asia. Oh, by the way, I noticed you are Asian too... so you go free-riding too?

Come on man... if its China, just say its China, no more, no less, dun go freakin' insulting all Asians or the whole of Asia in the process.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Dear Nurhisham,

What do you mean by "using the time-honoured Asian tradition of free-riding on somebody else's brand"?? Are you saying the WHOLE of Asia is like that? Or ALL Asians are like that? Please do not associate the actions of the people of China with that of the WHOLE of Asia and/or ALL Asians. China is but one country, not the whole freakin' Asia. Oh, by the way, I noticed you are Asian too... so you go free-riding too?

Come on man... if its China, just say its China, no more, no less, dun go freakin' insulting all Asians or the whole of Asia in the process.

jpaq1,

I see it all the time, from fake branded bags and watches in night markets to legit businesses using western brand names. And no it's not just China. Historically, economic and industrial development in East Asia has tended to follow the same course - emulation of established technology, brands and designs, which gradually morphs into more legitamate locally sourced technology, designs and brands as the economies and incomes grow.

It's a short-cut process of learning and using an existing technology and design base, giving a leg-up to economic development with minimum resource and capital use.

China's just the latest example of this evolution, but Japan went through it, Hong Kong went through it, Singapore went through it, Taiwan went through it, South Korea went through it...the list goes on. Same model, different timing.

Is this bad? For the holders of the IP, yes...but from an economic development perspective, it's arguable.

If you feel offended, I'm sorry - but I'll call it as I see it. And from a historical perspective, I don't think I'm wrong.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

If you feel offended, I'm sorry - but I'll call it as I see it. And from a historical perspective, I don't think I'm wrong.

I think the cheap and cut-throat mentality in Asia is quite prevalent.

Also, Chinese diaspora also means that in much of East Asia a lot of businesses are under Chinese, and eventually everyone learns to compete with the Chinese.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

...which is not exactly a bad thing if you're playing catchup to the rest of the world. One of the costs of development is that ethics sometimes fall by the wayside until society itself finds that it pays to pay attention to property rights.