Haven’t read "Harry Potter and Porcelain Doll" yet?
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Haven’t read "Harry Potter and Porcelain Doll" yet?
The latest Chinese knockoff uncovered— a Goldman Sachs! This Goldman Sachs (Shenzhen) Financial Leasing Co. has almost identical English and Chinese names with Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., the world-renown investment bank.
The company’s location on Google Maps:
The Chinese copycat company is located in Shenzhen, a modern metropolis a river away from Hong Kong. China’s national corporate credit information system shows this Goldman Sachs was established two years ago with 200 million HKD, or $25.8 million.
The Goldman Sachs headquartered in New York City confirmed it has nothing to do with the one in Shenzhen, China.
The headquarters of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Yes, indeed. You can have a have a fake company worth a million dollars in China, and it’s only one of the many creative knockoffs China has contributed to the world of counterfeit.
Last month, a fake China Construction Bank branch opened in a local town in northeast China. It had card readers, counters, properly dressed employees, CCTV and ATMs that didn’t allow withdrawing. Two weeks after a grand opening, the fake branch president was arrested. China’s state media Xinhua also reported another fake bank that gathered 200 million Yuan in January.
You will know how important it is to check your spelling when you see the Haiyatt Garden Hotel in Guangdong, a province where a lot of authentic and fake iPhones are produced. Here is Haiyatt’s website on which you could make a real reservation. People who’ve stayed there say the hotel is luxurious and spacious.
Fake iPhones from China. (John Karakatsanis/Flickr)
Oreo may be the most popular knockoff target. There are at least a dozen local manufacturers who produce their own versions of Oreo, selling them in many rural areas. The package looks similar. Just the brand’s Chinese names vary — very subtly.
A comparison between a real Oreo package (top) and a fake one (bottom). (Image via Yogeev)
A package of fake Oreos. (Image via Lofter)
It’s training for the eyes. “Caca Cala” for “Coca Cola,” “Tids” for “Tide” and “Okay” for “Olay”.
A counterfeit Coca-Cola is a little heavy on the “a.” (Image via pub.creaders.net)
Okay, they win!
A counterfeit version of “Olay” next to the real thing. (Images from left: Tieba Baidu and WindyWinters/Flickr)
An e-less Tide product next to …. a semi-upside down one. (Images from left: hf365.com and iqilu.com)
What is popular in the West will create a piracy boom in China. Western audiences devoured seven volumes of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, while China had six to 12 forged stories, like “Harry Potter and Porcelain Doll,” “Harry Potter and the Big Funnel” and “Harry Potter and Golden Armor.”
From left: “Harry Potter and Porcelain Doll,” “Harry Potter and the Big Funnel” and “Harry Potter and Golden Armor.” (Images left and center: wtoutiao.com, right: douban.com)
Michael Jordan, former Chicago Bulls player, spent years suing sportswear company Qiaodan Sports in China (Qiaodan is Jordan’s name in Chinese), but eventually failed in China’s highest court.
A pair of real Air Jordans (left) next to the Qiaodan shoe brand. (Images from left: Kevin Wu/Flickr and GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)
We don’t know how to stop the sweeping “creativeness” in China.
There’s a “Trader Zhou’s,” pronounced almost the same as “Trader Joe’s,” in Shanghai. Next time you’re there, try its wines. You can ask Marketplace for the exact address.
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