'Republic of Fakes'
投稿者： greatjp22 投稿日時： 2012/09/12 09:02 投稿番号： [29840 / 30895]
Welcome to the 'Republic of Fakes'
September 10, 2012: 9:21 AM ET
Forgeries and patent infringement are rampant in South Korea -- sometimes to a shocking degree.
By Michael Fitzpatrick, contributor
"Creativity is great, but plagiarism is faster." -- Ken Ndaru, author
FORTUNE -- Some off the notorious copy-cating prevalent in the tech industry was highlighted on August 25 when a US court ruled S. Korean giant Samsung had ripped off Apple's designs. The most damning evidence: an internal memo from Samsung's head of mobile communications JK Shin in which he suggested to his team, "Let's make something like the iPhone."
Truth is, however, that both China and South Korea have of late garnered a reputation for some spectacularly brass-necked imitations and attempts at fakery or plagiarism. "My country is such a joke sometimes I call it the Republic of Forgery," says Seoul-based author and critic Kim Kyung-Sook. "That's after Woo Suk Hwang, [caught falsifying research on cloning] and all the fake luxury watches and fashion you see even worn by celebrities here."
Certain parties in Asia seem to revel in the chutzpah that is often accessory after the fake. China has chains of bogus Apple (AAPL) shops, phony Ferraris (a steal at just $10,000 US) and even once boasted a Potemkin multinational -- a working facsimile of Japan's NEC. The Korean peninsular has been no slouch either -- delivering fake Starbucks (SBUX), "Starpreya," and possibly even a fake Kim Jong-il. (A Japanese university professor claimed that Bill Clinton met a phony Kim in 2009.) The tiny country perched on a peninsula that sticks out of the Chinese continent like a swollen appendix might even be the first for simulated good looks. About 62% of South Korean women have had plastic surgery according to some figures.
MORE: 19 incredible Apple secrets revealed
With such a reputation for playing fast and loose with vérité it is no surprise the country is awash with IP and copyright disputes. Samsung alone has roughly 50 patent suits ongoing nationwide. While there are scores of quarrels globally over alleged South Korean infringement of patents and copyrights despite the country being signed to numerous international IP treaties. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) the number of patent lawsuits involving domestic and foreign companies in the country has nearly doubled from 154 cases in 2009 to 278 cases in 2011.
Some South Koreans blame aggressive patent enforcers unlovingly referred to as patent trolls. The figures, they say, point to foreign companies filing against domestic firms far outnumbering those by Korean firms suing foreign entities. In the last three years over three-quarters of the total number of lawsuits have been brought by outsiders says KIPO.
Next Page
September 10, 2012: 9:21 AM ET
Forgeries and patent infringement are rampant in South Korea -- sometimes to a shocking degree.
By Michael Fitzpatrick, contributor
"Creativity is great, but plagiarism is faster." -- Ken Ndaru, author
FORTUNE -- Some off the notorious copy-cating prevalent in the tech industry was highlighted on August 25 when a US court ruled S. Korean giant Samsung had ripped off Apple's designs. The most damning evidence: an internal memo from Samsung's head of mobile communications JK Shin in which he suggested to his team, "Let's make something like the iPhone."
Truth is, however, that both China and South Korea have of late garnered a reputation for some spectacularly brass-necked imitations and attempts at fakery or plagiarism. "My country is such a joke sometimes I call it the Republic of Forgery," says Seoul-based author and critic Kim Kyung-Sook. "That's after Woo Suk Hwang, [caught falsifying research on cloning] and all the fake luxury watches and fashion you see even worn by celebrities here."
Certain parties in Asia seem to revel in the chutzpah that is often accessory after the fake. China has chains of bogus Apple (AAPL) shops, phony Ferraris (a steal at just $10,000 US) and even once boasted a Potemkin multinational -- a working facsimile of Japan's NEC. The Korean peninsular has been no slouch either -- delivering fake Starbucks (SBUX), "Starpreya," and possibly even a fake Kim Jong-il. (A Japanese university professor claimed that Bill Clinton met a phony Kim in 2009.) The tiny country perched on a peninsula that sticks out of the Chinese continent like a swollen appendix might even be the first for simulated good looks. About 62% of South Korean women have had plastic surgery according to some figures.
MORE: 19 incredible Apple secrets revealed
With such a reputation for playing fast and loose with vérité it is no surprise the country is awash with IP and copyright disputes. Samsung alone has roughly 50 patent suits ongoing nationwide. While there are scores of quarrels globally over alleged South Korean infringement of patents and copyrights despite the country being signed to numerous international IP treaties. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) the number of patent lawsuits involving domestic and foreign companies in the country has nearly doubled from 154 cases in 2009 to 278 cases in 2011.
Some South Koreans blame aggressive patent enforcers unlovingly referred to as patent trolls. The figures, they say, point to foreign companies filing against domestic firms far outnumbering those by Korean firms suing foreign entities. In the last three years over three-quarters of the total number of lawsuits have been brought by outsiders says KIPO.
Next Page
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