So, any evidence of said activities to go along with your lengthy diatribe of supposition?
Throwing mud on a specific manufacturer without solid evidence of that happening isn't something I'm going to do. Unless someone is a Ninja and wants to break into their modmaking HQ we aren't likely to get solid evidence.
But as the saying goes absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence, and we have plenty of other industries to compare this to, where such things are proven fact. I made it pretty clear in my post that there isn't concrete proof, but enough suspicion to question the official story. I never told people to stop buying high end mods, only pointing out that we simply do NOT know for sure in many cases. And if you do not know for sure, assuming either way would be bad idea.
I also never claimed that mere suspicion of these types of business practices absolves people of any moral issues behind buying clones. But if it's true, then they are NOT clones, they are the real item, only difference being what middle man was between you and the product.
Anyway, I think this issues is far too complex to simply say "clones are wrong" or "clones are OK" Things should be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
For example, every single high-end genny maker out there flat out stole the design from Raidy here on ECF. They stole his intellectual property which he specifically said he did NOT want people producing commercially. For this reason I have zero sympathy for any manufacturer whining about clones of their gennys. Their gennys are already stolen goods, they just get mad someone else was doing the stealing instead of them. Profiting off genny devices is the exact same moral crime you are all complaining about China doing, but it's OK when it's a Pinoy, Greek, or American doing it?
No he didn't get a patent or anything, but few mod makers do, and even if they did China doesn't abide by such laws. So legally speaking, there is no ground to stand on either way. Morally speaking, it's hypocritical to be against clones, yet buy high end gennys. How do you think Raidy feels about the millions of dollars flying around in the genny market he doesn't get cent off?
The million different eGo clones out there are knock-offs in the same exact way that every single high end genny is. The design totally stolen from someone else, with a few aesthetic changes, or maybe a few minor functional changes. Bad when people clone eGos, but OK when people clone gennys, as long as the person doing the cloning isn't Chinese?
To call a clone theft is really degrading what theft is. Theft is when someone takes something you have, and you no longer have it. They have left you with less than you started with. This does not apply to clones. Every time china pumps a clone off the production line, it's authentic equivalent doesn't go "poof" and disappear.
You could claim theft of profit if high end devices were collecting dust on shelves, but their aren't. (at least not the ones being cloned) The devices being cloned are next to impossible to get by most people. If mod makers sell everything as fast as they can make it, which is the case, they can't claim any tangible loss.
Another thing someone brought up before was the subject of prints being made of popular paintings. Is this a moral outrage as well? What's the difference between someone hanging a mona-lisa print in their living room and someone vaping a cloned mech that nobody can actually get?
Take the Caravela for instance, what damage is being done if the maker isn't even selling a mod anymore? Then it's quite literally impossible to do any tangible damage to the maker. Any damage done will be against private parties gouging the market because their device is rare. I couldn't care less is joe blow can't resell his mech for 10x the original value because people are buying the clone instead. In fact that makes me happy. I would gladly pay the original retail for a Caravela, but that's not possible, so I bought a clone and sleep well at night. It's hurting nobody to do so, and I don't recognize manufactured intellectual theft. I live in the physical world, not in the minds of PV manufacturers, and only recognize tangible, real-world damage, which there is none of.
Then there is also the emotional argument. Vapers aren't going to feel bad about buying a clone, if they feel the original maker is ripping them off at the prices they charge. May not be right, but that's how it is. Clones wouldn't be such a hot product if people didn't feel gouged by other products.
I own some authentic high end mechs and attys, and I own some clone mechs and attys. I don't regret spending the money on the high end models, and I don't feel bad about buying the clones. I would however feel bad about buying some of the newer devices out there which are basically 1:1 perfect replica with logos and all, which is why I don't buy them. Mainly because having perfect 1:1 copies floating around could do actual damage to the makers. If the copies are good enough and people can't tell the difference, that muddies the market and could very well lead to people avoiding those devices for fear of getting a fake.
If people actually followed this strict moral clone code that so many here think they are following, they wouldn't have half the devices they do. There are very few black and white situations when it comes to the whole cloning topic, but it seems plenty of black and white viewpoints.
