Shanzhai - is the latest term for counterfeit products, and it has also become the business term that has attracted the most media attention recently. Counterfeit phones are made by manufacturers who choose their own brand names or imitate the functions and styles of branded phones. Counterfeit cars are the imitation and transformation of internationally renowned brands by some small workshop-style manufacturers taking advantage of the government's management negligence. The degree of imitation has caused infringement to the imitators. Because they evade government management, copycats do not pay value-added tax, and at the same time they do not spend money on product development, advertising, promotion and other expenses. Nowadays, copycats have set off a powerful market shock wave and dealt a fatal blow to brand products.

The end of the mobile phone license system has given Shanzhai mobile phones a vigorous spring. Nowadays, major media are actively discussing the innovative models, competitive advantages and valuable experiences of Shanzhai mobile phones. At the same time, a large number of domestic websites have adopted the same copycat strategy to collectively imitate successful foreign websites such as Facebook and Youtube, gaining a large number of users and even receiving considerable investment.

“When talking about counterfeit mobile phones, we must mention the MTK chips they use,” Mr. Fang from the Marketing Department of Capital Information Group told reporters. MTK is a Taiwanese chip manufacturer. Its Chinese name is MediaTek Technology Co., Ltd. and its full English name is MediaTek. This company, founded in 1997, was once named one of the "Top 50 Asian Companies" by Forbes magazine, and the MTK mobile phone chip they developed shocked the entire mobile phone industry chain.

Mr. Fang told reporters that MTK chips integrate mobile phone motherboards and software and sell them together. As long as a casing and battery are added, anyone can use the "semi-finished products" of mobile phones provided by MTK to produce a mobile phone, so Some small workshops have openly started manufacturing mobile phones. This is just like when you go to the market to buy a computer compatible machine. The CPU, memory, hard drive, and graphics card are all ready for you. You just need to tighten them with screws. The only hardware you can choose is the chassis, which corresponds to a mobile phone case. It's just different. This is why there are so many "copycat phones" on the market that have the same functions but slightly different shells.

What functions do you want? Camera, MP3, MP4, support for memory cards, touch screen, Bluetooth, it has all the functions you can think of. The most important thing is that it is cheap, extremely cheap, and it has everything you need. Such a system is said to only cost 300-400 yuan in Shenzhen.

In October 2007, the nine-year-old "mobile phone license" system implemented by the country was cancelled. The "blackness" of "copycat mobile phones" gradually receded, and "copycat mobile phones" turned into regular troops. When the sales of "shanzhai mobile phones" are in full swing, several major domestic brand-name manufacturers have finally become unable to sit still and have turned to the competitive strategy of "shanzhai mobile phones": adopting MTK's solutions and focusing on ultra-large screens, multiple speakers, and full-screen handwriting cards. , we must fight for our market share.

An emerging domestic mobile phone brand quickly seized market share. By the end of the year, the brand’s actual sales exceeded Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG. This is Tianyu, a little-known copycat. The person who started the business as a manufacturer.

As a regular army of "copycat mobile phones", Tianyu is invincible. At that time, TCL, Konka, Bird, etc., which were popular in China, disappeared one after another. According to industry insiders who have visited Tianyu's production line, the quality inspection requirements for Tianyu mobile phones are 2-3 times higher than the national standard. In other words, every Tianyu product has absolute quality assurance. The combination of MTK and Shanzhai finally achieved positive results.

"Copycat mobile phones" focus on rural areas and secondary and tertiary markets

"Rural areas surrounding cities" is the market strategy of "copycat mobile phones", which can effectively avoid competition with Nokia, International brands such as Samsung and Motorola compete directly with each other, and they can also use their advantages such as powerful functions and low prices to compete with domestic manufacturers. The reporter once talked with people from all walks of life with different identities, incomes and statuses about whether they would buy "copycat mobile phones". The results found that students and low-income workers are more likely to accept "copycat mobile phones", which also shows that "copycat mobile phones" still have their own merits. existing market space.

In small and medium-sized cities and rural markets, consumers tend to pay more attention to the functions and appearance of mobile phones, and have relatively low demands for brands. This allows "shanzhai mobile phones" to see opportunities.

However, foreign brands do not pay enough attention to the rural market. In the competition with domestic brands in the third and fourth-tier markets, "shanzhai mobile phones" have strong functional advantages and price advantages. Therefore, the bosses of Bird Mobile and Amoi Mobile once shouted that losses are Because of "black mobile phones".

The most criticized thing about “copycat mobile phones” is their quality. According to industry insiders, while low-priced "copycat mobile phones" pursue strategies such as "replace with a new one if it breaks" and "it's not a pity to throw it away if the price is so low," some sellers also promote "experiential marketing." . "Copycat mobile phones" generally allow consumers to experience using them at a lower cost, allowing them to experience the functions and services of the "copycat mobile phones". After experiencing them, they can also participate in the "profit plan". For example, if you buy a "copycat mobile phone" If you buy a "shanzhai mobile phone", you can get a "sharing discount card". When you introduce the card to your friends and let them buy a "shanzhai mobile phone", you will get a price discount and you can also get part of the cash compensation. This plan is definitely attractive. .

After several years of "intensive cultivation" in rural areas and secondary and tertiary markets, "shanzhai mobile phones" have actually gained a firm foothold. It is understood that some major domestic mobile phone brands are envious of "copycat mobile phones" and have also fallen into the copycat camp. Only Amoi is struggling on the road of independent research and development, and Amoi has even put up a "different" advertisement for this purpose.

Where are the "copycat mobile phones" going?

The colorful mobile phone market near Beijing Women's Street seems to be always crowded. "Copycat mobile phones" are doing brisk business among the rows of counters. "Touch screen, multiple functions, affordable price" has become the mantra of stall owners to attract business.

However, a serious problem facing "copycat mobile phones" is that some untrustworthy stall owners sell substandard products and frequently have product quality problems; secondly, "copycat mobile phones" do not have the core technology and Imitating the appearance of popular models also faces intellectual property issues. As an expert from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said, there are three difficulties in managing "copycat mobile phones": difficulty in supervision - dealers engage in guerrilla warfare; difficulty in supervision - market operators have imperfect self-discipline and allow "copycats" to come in and out; difficulty in coordination - A considerable proportion of consumers specifically buy “copycat mobile phones”. At a recent mobile phone industry research and development conference, industry experts said that relevant departments should introduce laws and regulations as soon as possible, and the industry and commerce, public security, customs, copyright and other departments should jointly regulate the mobile phone market to prevent the proliferation of "copycat mobile phones" from the source.

At the same time, some powerful "shanzhai mobile phone" companies such as "Tianyu" began to take the road of establishing brands and began to follow the model of formalized research and development, production and promotion. This is " The right way to "shanzhai mobile phone".

Whether they are eradicated or promoted, the fate of "shanzhai mobile phones" will continue to attract the attention of consumers.

Why don’t copycat phones want to be recruited?

When it comes to the word "recruitment", people often think of the Liangshan hero Song Jiang first. Song Jiang could have led his brothers to carry out the road to the cottage to the end, but in order to clear his and his brothers' identities and become court ministers who could honor their ancestors, he finally knelt down to the emperor of the dynasty with a charming smile and bowed his head piously. A head that once had its blood boiling. The result? Not only did he fail to secure a bright future for his brothers, he instead led the brothers who lived through life and death with him on the road to death. I wonder if Song Jiang ever regretted his choice before he died?

It’s too late to regret, everything has become history.

There has been some news recently that the government has intentionally extended an olive branch to recruit copycat phones. In response, a copycat machine owner shook his head and made it clear: We don't want to be recruited. If not recruiting is a dead end, what if we are recruited? Die faster! We would rather live a little longer.

Why do copycat phone owners think that they will die faster if they are recruited? He explained that although relevant national departments have taken positive measures to reduce mobile phone testing fees and testing times, this intensity is still far from their ideal value.

To make the same mobile phone, one costs hundreds of thousands in testing fees and several months of waiting time for testing, while the other does not require anything and will be put on the market directly after it is ready. If you are a manufacturer, which path will you choose? Wouldn't it be better to pass on the testing fees to consumers and leave this time to consumers so that they can enjoy the updated functions and appearance of their mobile phones in advance? As an enterprise, of course, we are willing to clean up our business and do business in a serious manner, but are regular domestic mobile phones “white” enough? How will they end? The ending is to die faster and more tragically than the copycat machine. With such a living example in front of you, do you still need the copycat machine to make a choice with your head? Making the company bigger and stronger "cleanly and cleanly" is definitely the biggest ideal of copycat machine companies, but the problem is that without certain economic strength, how can they successfully clean up their business? Most copycats can only choose to continue to "copycat", and a very small number of big copycat bosses may be able to successfully wash their feet and go ashore, but this will definitely have to pay a considerable economic price, and whether the future after landing will be smooth sailing, no one Can guarantee the ticket.

The author also checked netizens’ comments about copycat phones on major forums such as NetEase and Sina. Surprisingly, when regular mobile phone companies and media bombarded copycat phones, netizens were extremely united. I stand firmly on the side of the copycat machines. The author summarized the reasons why netizens support copycat phones as follows:

Firstly, the quality of copycat phones is not as bad as the media criticized. Some netizens even think that copycat phones are better than some regular brands of mobile phones. It’s easy to use, has more functions, and looks better. As for the after-sales service, the after-sales service of the regular army is not very good anyway. There is no difference between having it and not having it, not to mention that some copycat phones have after-sales service!

Secondly, the prices of copycat phones are indeed affordable. Some netizens are even grateful for the copycat phones, saying that if there were no copycat phones, maybe the mobile phones would still be selling at computer prices. They also gave the example of when the copycat phones were not released. Some mobile phones cost 5,000 to 6,000 yuan. Once the knock-off phones come out, those phones can be bought for just over 1,000 yuan. This saves consumers money, and the contribution of knock-off phones is indispensable.

Third, copycat phones are very innovative. They are not afraid of losing face or low profits. They realize all possible functions and try every means to meet all the needs of consumers, even if they have no needs for the time being. When you create something, nothing is impossible except what you can't imagine. This kind of grassroots culture is obviously more popular with consumers, more competitive, and more in line with market needs than the serious, self-righteous, procrastinating bureaucratic culture. Therefore, it is more recognized by netizens. Some netizens even said: "Learn from Dazhai in agriculture and copycat in industry." It seems that the spirit of copycat has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Perhaps some people used to think that those who bought copycat phones were consumers from the third and fourth tier markets who were uneducated and had no money. Now this idea has fallen behind. Do you think that so many netizens from big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are all A master with no money and no culture? At least judging from their writing style and analysis, they are quite level and insightful.

Recruitment has the obstacles of testing costs and time, and there are also examples of the death of regular domestic mobile phones. However, non-recruitment has strong support from consumers and market needs, and there are also "small boats can easily turn around" Advantages, how can a copycat phone be willing to recruit?

The market for copycat mobile phones

1. Offline market: At first, copycat mobile phones occupied the streets and alleys in the form of distribution through channels. At present, phone bill payment offices in small and medium-sized cities in China and various places There are a large number of counterfeit mobile phone sales points in every computer city. These sales points have become the largest guerrilla points for low-end counterfeit mobile phone shipments. According to a sample survey conducted by Mr. F of Shanzhaiji.com in a certain area, At present, many phone bill payment points in urban villages are selling knockoff mobile phones. Basically, the price range is between 200 and 500. The daily shipment volume of a small store ranges from 2 to 5 units because the price is basically lower than that in computer malls. It’s still cheap. Many migrant workers, students, etc. will buy copycat mobile phones in nearby places. Another place is the local computer city. The sales points in the computer city are generally more complicated than those in the village because they are all specialized If you go to buy a mobile phone, and there are a wide variety of designs, the price quoted will generally be relatively unrealistic. The approximate price will be between 6-800 yuan. Generally, the price can be reduced to about 500 yuan.

2. Internet online market: Another market is the sales market on the Internet. The Internet has become the best sales channel for copycat mobile phones. Baidu Youah, Taobao and other shopping websites have become the main sales channels for copycat mobile phones. The main sales channels are because their prices are relatively low. The difference between counterfeit mobile phone sales on the Internet and offline is that these mobile phones are very new and always follow market trends. There are many styles, but the prices are also Relatively high. For example, some high-imitation iPhone copycat phones are generally very fine in workmanship and even have similar and smooth interfaces. This type of phone is called a fine imitation in the industry, and its price is generally around 1,000. Yuan Yuan, as technology continues to mature, a new batch of copycat mobile phones began to appear on the market after May 2009, called smart copycat mobile phones. This type of copycat mobile phones are very different from previous copycat mobile phones. This type of copycat mobile phone abandons the previous inherent model and uses the Windows Mobile system as the mobile phone platform. There are also a few that use Google Android mobile phone system. The price of such mobile phones is generally relatively high, above 1,000 yuan. , with the emergence of smart copycat mobile phones, it has also broken the previous image of copycat mobile phones in everyone's mind. They are imitations but not imitations. Smart copycat mobile phones can have both appearance and spirit, and even the system is exactly the same. This is undoubtedly for The copycat mobile phone market is a big boost!

Three major advantages of copycat mobile phones

1. Ultra-comprehensive functions: Almost all copycat phones are known for their comprehensive functions, such as large screens, photo cameras, and MP3/MP4 multimedia playback , and even high-end GPS navigation functions, these are no longer a problem as soon as MTK comes out.

2. Strong standby capability: Counterfeit phones are well-known for their strong standby capabilities, and their battery capacities are even larger than the last. Not long ago, a mobile phone named ZJ268 was 32,800 mm in size. An's battery capacity has set a historical record, and its two-year standby gimmick is even more astonishing.

3. Low price: The price factor is definitely the strongest weapon in the competition between copycat phones and big-name manufacturers at present. You may only be able to buy a low-end mobile phone at Nokia, but it is enough to buy another one. A fully functional copycat phone.

Four major disadvantages of copycat mobile phones

1. Radiation: The biggest disadvantage of copycat mobile phones is radiation! Consumers have no way of knowing how much radiation their mobile phones have. Needless to say, the dangers of radiation [tumors, cancers, malformations, nervous system disorders, etc.]. All major mobile phone brands publish their mobile phone radiation values ??[SAR] on their official websites. The radiation of mobile phones produced by these major manufacturers has been tested to be within the acceptable range of the human body. However, the reason why genuine parallel-imported mobile phones cannot be sold under regular The channel is listed because it has some functions with relatively large radiation, such as WIFI, so the radiation exceeds the standard [my country's mobile phone radiation standard is 1.0w/kg], so it cannot enter the regular channel. The amount of radiation caused by the ultra-high-power speakers of counterfeit mobile phones can be imagined, and the amount of radiation from the motherboards and ultra-large-capacity batteries of counterfeit mobile phones cannot be ignored.

2. Explosion: The batteries of counterfeit mobile phones are generally relatively large. Why is the battery capacity of mobile phone batteries produced by regular manufacturers so small compared with that of mobile phone batteries? This is because mobile phone batteries can cause explosions in some environments. Cases of mobile phone explosions are common, and the motherboards and casings of counterfeit mobile phones are not necessarily flame-retardant or heat-insulating, which increases the possibility of explosions. Regular manufacturers consider not only the standby time, but also the safety of consumers. Many mobile phone websites have reported articles on mobile phone battery explosion experiments. They used illustrations to heat and compare various mobile phone batteries. Batteries produced by regular manufacturers are only It will smoke and crack, while the counterfeit battery will blow up the entire experimental area black. Its "power" can be compared with that of a detonator. I don't think anyone wants to carry a bomb that can explode at any time.

3. Odor: The packaging, motherboard, casing and battery of counterfeit mobile phones are generally made of cheap materials, and the gases they produce may be harmful to the human body. This is by no means an alarmist statement. Decoration is harmful to the human body. It has long been recognized by everyone that why the Bird's Nest must be decorated with VOC-compliant paint is because ordinary materials are harmful to the human body!

4. Market: It seems that copycat phones bring competition to regular manufacturers and stimulate them to lower their prices. In fact, what copycat phones bring is unfair market competition and chaotic market order, which makes formal manufacturers Manufacturers have lost confidence in the market and lost motivation for scientific research, causing large manufacturers to reduce their scientific research expenditures and making it difficult for some regular manufacturers that are just starting to move forward. In the end, it is consumers who are harmed. Recently in December: CCTV investigation: Counterfeit phones flooded stores and infringement was very serious

CCTV news (News 30 minutes): Many viewers must have heard of the word "cottage" mobile phones. These assembled or imitated mobile phones Mobile phones are very cheap and are favored by many people. So much so that in some cities, markets specializing in copycat mobile phones have formed.

Reporter: Behind me is Beijing Muxiyuan Mobile Phone Wholesale Market. Among the hundreds of mobile phone stalls here, there is a very cheap copycat mobile phone. How is its market sales? Let’s go and see it. one time.

Some merchants said that tens of thousands of people come in and out of this market every day. Buyers come from all over North China, and many of them are looking for copycat machines.

Merchant: What is this called, "Duke", the kind that imitates "Earl", Samsung, imitates "Earl", how much is this, 650 yuan, how much does "Earl" cost, more than 6,000, warranty How long? One year warranty. Can I get it repaired by you? Yes, how many units can be sold in a day, maybe a dozen units. Is this a copycat phone? Basically, there was a girl last time, and the appearance is the same everywhere. Just the screen display is different, you can't tell it at all.

Not far from Fangshitong Technology Plaza, there is a mobile phone store called Nanxi Technology. The reporter also found a large number of fake mobile phones here.

Merchant: This imitation is different from the real one. It must be different, including the camera pixels and clarity. No wonder it is so cheap. Everyone knows this. The real ones cost thousands, while the fake ones cost hundreds. Of course it is this kind that sells well. Why, it is so cheap and is used to bluff people. A layman who doesn’t understand will see that it is true.

At present, genuine Apple mobile phones cost more than 4,000 yuan, while counterfeit versions of Apple mobile phones can be obtained for only 800 yuan. Merchants said that they can sell more than a dozen of these "copycat" apples a day, and the manufacturer can ship more than 2,000 units in a day.

Merchant: Is there any testing? If there is no testing, can it be put on the market? Parallel imports cannot be listed on the market, but this is the parallel import market.

It is understood that similar mobile phone markets exist in Tianjin, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places, and most of the products come from Shenzhen. Most of these knock-off mobile phones have not been tested, their quality cannot be guaranteed, and they have no after-sales service. However, it cannot be said that copycat mobile phones do not have any technical content. The reporter found that almost all copycat phones are marked with advanced configurations such as "ultra-long standby, dual-SIM dual standby, and multi-megapixel cameras", and even include subwoofers, It can be said that the producers have put a lot of effort into additional functions such as SLR lenses and game controllers. But the main problem they face is infringement.

He Yudong, a researcher at the Intellectual Property Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law: Shanzhai mobile phones have been around for some time. If they have similar functions to other mobile phones and if their appearance and design are similar, (if they can be sold externally, the combination Together, is it an infringement?) Some people’s mobile phones have patents for the entire mobile phone. If what you do is within the protection scope of the patent requirements, you have constituted an infringement.

Experts also pointed out that if your innovation reaches a certain level through imitation, you can also protect your intellectual property rights by applying for patents. In Shenzhen, some mobile phone manufacturers with copycat backgrounds have already launched their own brands, and their products are even sold abroad. And if you blindly plagiarize other people's appearance and technology, or even directly OEM and counterfeit it, it will eventually be prohibited by the law.