Counterfeiting is illegal in the United States and Canada. It sounds so ridiculous to say that out loud, since it’s the kind of thing everyone knows, but it’s the truth. Both ethically and legally.
You can’t take a product or idea that belongs to someone else, copy it and sell it.
(Well, I guess you can, if you’re interested in burning $2 million and spending five years in prison.)
But apparently, that cut-and-dried, could-not-be-more-obvious rule isn’t as ubiquitous in the rest of the world as you or I might believe.
I was on the phone with HDMA President and CEO Tim Kraus last week when he mentioned that in other corners of the world — specifically China — counterfeiting isn’t viewed as an explicitly unethical action. In fact, in some Asian nations, Kraus says he’s learned counterfeiting is almost viewed as a challenge.
“They pride themselves on being able to copy our designs,” he says. “They don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Its quotes like that that make me shudder when thinking about the impact counterfeit parts could have on our heavy-duty trucks.
