aren't "replica" pens illegal???

[glycerine]

Was looking on ebay and see many pens coming from Hong Kong that have the bird poop logo on the end of them. They aren't advertised as Mont Blanc and they are selling for less than $10. Isn't this illegal? How are they getting away with it? I could see selling things like this discreetly and getting away with it, like the fake gucci watches and handbags that street vendors sell, but on Ebay???

 

[GoodTurns]

if their reviewers get a report on it, they will pull the item

 

[glycerine]

Oh, ok. Maybe I should report it then!

 

[Texatdurango]

More and more in today's economy it's all about MONEY, any way you can get it! In a few years the words ETHICS and MORALS will have absolutely no meaning whatsoever and in a few more years will probably be dropped from the dictionary all together as obsolete meaningless words that no one understands anyway.

I'm sure Ebay has a DEDICATED team who shuts down such sites but I'm sorta guessing that as long as ebay is making money on each sale that shutting down these sites may not be their highest priority, imagine that!

 

[BlackPearl]

More and more in today's economy it's all about MONEY, any way you can get it! In a few years the words ETHICS and MORALS will have absolutely no meaning whatsoever and in a few more years will probably be dropped from the dictionary all together as obsolete meaningless words that no one understands anyway.

I'm sure Ebay has a DEDICATED team who shuts down such sites but I'm sorta guessing that as long as ebay is making money on each sale that shutting down these sites may not be their highest priority, imagine that!

The whole American economic system is no longer about making a great product of any sort, just making a profit.

I can not think of any company that stands up as says that "We make the best product in our market" actually even those that do import the best product (i.e HP) will drop a product or even 1/3 of their business because it does not make enough money, not that it is loosing money just not making enough.

Even Mercedes Benz doesn't talk about quality any more just price, and Cadillac is no longer the Cadillac of motor cars.

 

[whegge]

The other problem is that copyright laws are not universally the same. It maybe perfectly legal in Hong Kong to produce the "rip-off" and sell it. The issue here is where ebay as an American company is doing anything illegal. I suspect so but as everyone else has said "Money". Kinds like speeding, as long as you do not get caught.

 

[Smitty37]

Key

Was looking on ebay and see many pens coming from Hong Kong that have the bird poop logo on the end of them. They aren't advertised as Mont Blanc and they are selling for less than $10. Isn't this illegal? How are they getting away with it? I could see selling things like this discreetly and getting away with it, like the fake gucci watches and handbags that street vendors sell, but on Ebay???

That is the key ingredient --- the seller isn't misrepresenting them as being genuine Mont Blanc and if the logo isn't exactly identical (it probably isn't) they are just selling another $5.00 pen as a $10.00 pen.

Consider this:
Anyone looking for a Mont Blanc pen isn't even going to cast a glance at a pen priced at $10.00 because they know that NOBODY is going to sell the genuine article for $10.00.

I would guess that conservatively speaking, 99% or more of the people looking for a $10.00 pen wouldn't know what a Mont Blanc looks like and those who do know, will also know they won't find them for $10.00.

Anyone looking for a Mont Blanc will know it ain't gonna come from Hong Kong.

Assuming a rational buyer - would you buy a Mont Blanc on eBay? I wouldn't unless it was sold as a Mont Blanc and there was some way to verify that the seller was in business for a long time. He/she would also have a top notch eBay rating, and no bad sales where the buyer claimed he didn't get what was advertised.

I kind of think that what you describe falls into the class of "much ado over nothing".