First, let's start by saying that infringement of copyright and intellectual property is illegal in most jurisdictions.
The Truth About Replica Watches
One of the main premises of the (famous-name) watchmakers is that fake/replica watches deprive them of 'billions' of dollars of revenue.
Let's examine that premise...
A customer buys a $50 replica of a famous-name watch. Let's say it's a replica of a $5,000 model manufactured by that famous-name watchmaker. It looks nice; the casual observer may not pick that it's not the genuine article. But has that $50 replica watch cost that famous-name watchmaker a $5,000 sale?
The answer lies in the customer who bought the $50 replica. Would that customer *ever* have bought the genuine article? His budget says no - if he could afford the original then he wouldn't have bought the replica. People who can afford the genuine watch wouldn't be caught dead wearing a replica.
So all those cheap replicas don't really cost big-name watchmakers any lost revenue. Customers who can afford the real thing would buy it, and customers who only have $50 would never buy the $5,000 original in the first place.
But what about high-quality replicas passed off as originals, at prices comparable to the originals?
Swiss crack down on fake watches from China
That's for another post...
