The Plagiarism Museum
On Apr. 1, a new museum of counterfeit goods opens in the German city of Solingen, near Cologne. The Museum Plagiarius, housed in a converted railway building, will permanently exhibit 300 original products together with seemingly identical rip-offs. These items range from fashion and household products to electrical and medical equipment. They come from the annual Plagiarius awards, presented by the museum’s co-founder Professor Rido Busse. “The idea is to shame the con men and help the general public realize how widespread the problem is — it’s not just limited to Louis Vuitton bags,” says Professor Busse.
Original: Haaga Kunststofftechnik, Kirchheim/Teck, Germany; Copy: Wuyi Zhouyi Mechanical & Electrical, Zhejiang, P.R. China
This multiterrain cleaner for outdoor rubbish is made by a German company whose entire business is based on just a few models of sweeper. Yet a Chinese company plagiarized the product, right down to its packaging, in one fell swoop.
Original: Alfi, Wertheim, Germany; Copy: He Shan Jia Hui Vacuum Flask and Vessel, Guangzhou, China
The top prize this year went to this vacuum jug called Sophie, designed by Alfi with high-quality polypropylene and a five-year warranty. The Chinese rip-off merchants, which made a jug that leaks, changed the manufacturer’s name printed on the front to Albi. The World Customs Organization and the European Commission both estimate that 7% of worldwide commerce is counterfeit, causing global losses of up to $500 billion and costing several hundred thousand legitimate jobs each year.
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