A technophile lawyer rediscovers the joys of pen and paper

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Raise your hand if you hate counterfeiters as much as I do

I bought a Chinese fountain pen on eBay recently. The pen is nice enough. It has a really unique look and writes smoothly. Not a bad pen at all for the price. I'll be reviewing it shortly.

But I am still unhappy with the transaction, because the package included an insert that featured a lot more pens for sale, all of which were knock-offs (the one I purchased was not). Bad enough that the pens copied others of far greater quality. But in this insert, the pens were not only look-alikes, they were actually labeled in the ad with the trademarks of well-known pen makers.

Now, neither I nor anyone who reads this blog regularly is going to think he's buying a real Mont Blanc or Pelikan for $25. Heck, no one who is not a pen-and-paper nut is going to think he's buying a real Pelikan or Mont Blanc for $25. But the whole idea of trying to pass off one's product as someone else's really ticks me off. It's one of the reasons I enjoy enforcing intellectual property rights as a lawyer so much.

I won't be buying from that seller again. I know my decision isn't exactly going to bring the seller to his knees. But I can't reward a counterfeiter with further business.

Am I the only one who reacts so viscerally to this?

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3 comments:

  1. I don't like counterfeiters either but I'm afraid you're not being very clear on this. Care to give more details? I bought a Chinese Jinhao fountain pen for less than $8 shipped and it's a pretty sweet deal. But that one doesn't claim to imitate anybody.

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  2. I agree. It's disheartening to see. I also would not buy from that seller again. If I did, I would simply be contributing to the problem.

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  3. Is it possible that the "Montblanc" pens are used or defective? Couldn't the Chinese company get sued otherwise?

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