Knockoffs – should they knock it off?
moneyrelations :: Feb.21.2008
The Plagiarius Awards were given out recently to “celebrate” the year’s best knockoffs. The point of this pseudo award is to shame counterfeit companies and to bring consumer awareness to… some very good stuff?!
Let’s get this out of the way first: plagiarism is bad. It undercuts the original company’s profits. However, I can’t be puritan enough to say that I’ve never worn some knockoff or another. In fact, I don’t think the immorality has set in for the general public.
Let’s look at the tv show Entertainment Tonight. One year, Halle Berry wore a stunning wine colored dress to the Oscars. The next day, ET had a snippet on how you can buy the gown for a fraction less. I think they have this knockoff segment every year. Now, is it the same designer offering a cheaper version of his/her one of a kind dress? It would be a good ploy, but it would still perpetuate the stigma of getting away with something for a cheaper price.
Then there’s the whole piracy issue of software and movies. Truth be told, when I was working as a programmer, we were ecstatic that our program had been cracked. It meant that it was useful and we were just hoping to get it mainstream enough so companies would buy legitimate licenses.
The issue with movies? There has to be a happy medium between a $10 ticket and a shaky camcorder recording. The big studios are finally getting it – or at least wanting to stop the bleeding. Apple is renting out movies and just signed a deal to offer American Idol performance downloads. I think given the same convenience of doing the right thing or the wrong thing, most would opt for the peace of mind at the cost of a few bucks more.
As they say, imitation breeds innovation. Other than for health and safety reasons which should never be compromised, companies should review what their competition is doing and be more pragmatic with their business models and readjust as they see fit.
Finally, to my blog scrapers:
Thank you for your attention. A link back would be appreciated.
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This reminds me of a few Australian companies who thought they would save a few bucks by getting goods manufactured in China, well they saved some money alright and invented a new competitor due to the design being copied…
Really hard to say, Paul. Dropping the design in the hands of the competitor sucks but if they didn’t get it manufactured in China, then their profit margins aren’t as high… A good idea will eventually get copied – it’s a given. The question is if you have enough lead time to make your money…