Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there.

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Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there.

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Wed Dec 26, 2012 3:54 pm

There once was a time where you could fairly confidently purchase mics and other audio and MI gear at smaller stores, pawn or second hand shops. Great deals were easy to spot, and I have many pieces, as I'm sure many have, that were bought that way. Unfortunately, we have entered an era where cheap overseas manufacturing, combined with an eager marketplace, has created an age where counterfeit, and even fictitious pieces are showing up even in small markets like Saint John.

I have seen people buying "new" already inexpensive brand name mics at non dealer stores for outrageously low prices, wondering why they perform so poorly compared to popular opinion of said models... Later finding out that they have purchased terrible counterfeit versions of these microphones. If you are seeing a store with "New In Box" Shure SM58 for $40.00, no matter how legit it may look to the layperson... it's probably a rip off. I've personally seen stuff like this in the Saint John area, and I can't believe the lengths they go to make these things look legit, complete with sticker and warranty card.

Just to show how ridiculous it is now, these crooks are making completely fictional models up to try and dupe people looking for a deal. The latest one I became aware of is this:
Shure-Beta-59A-Vocal-Mikrofon__33965524_0.jpg

This microphone does not even exist as a Shure product, but they make it look so authentic, people fall for it.

Be careful buying anything from non official dealers of brands. It's getting crazier out there every day.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Alain Benoit » Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:36 pm

Having been in the belly of the best I can believe to what lengths they'll go but also to the mildly trained eye fakes are still easy to spot and that doesnt stop at MI goods either.
The only knockoff I bought that's held up was a teflon Burrberry jacket.

In my opinion an NIB 58 for 40 sheets is not a probable rip off it's a guaranteed one.

Also Beats & Bytes does for a fact sell knock off Sure products, I'm waiting for them to sell knock off Sennheiser mics so that I can rat them out.

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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:04 pm

Alain Benoit wrote:Also Beats & Bytes does for a fact sell knock off Sure products...
This.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby dylanger » Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:08 am

I notified my shure rep about this when I first showed you this last summer Al. I'm surprised he didn't do anything, or maybe he couldn't.......
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Thu Dec 27, 2012 4:07 pm

dylanger wrote:I notified my shure rep about this when I first showed you this last summer Al. I'm surprised he didn't do anything, or maybe he couldn't.......
I bet Shure's team of legal eagles is busy these days going after this stuff. It doesn't take much to send a letter in the mail to a dealer, but what they do if they don't act on that warning is probably where it gets more difficult.

So you told someone at SF about knock offs at B&Bs? I'd be curious to see if they still have any down there for sale...
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby dylanger » Thu Dec 27, 2012 6:48 pm

I told SF in July.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby macrae11 » Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:14 am

Is B & B a authorized Shure dealer though?
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:43 am

macrae11 wrote:Is B & B a authorized Shure dealer though?
Doubtful.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby macrae11 » Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:49 am

So I doubt there's anything SF would want to do. Even if they're selling Digiflex or whatever other products, SF doesn't want to lose a customer for those lines even if B&B is doing something unethical that they can't control. Shure would be the only company with a vested interest in the problem but I doubt they'd have any desire to chase down such small fish.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:46 am

macrae11 wrote:So I doubt there's anything SF would want to do. Even if they're selling Digiflex or whatever other products, SF doesn't want to lose a customer for those lines even if B&B is doing something unethical that they can't control. Shure would be the only company with a vested interest in the problem but I doubt they'd have any desire to chase down such small fish.

Are you suggesting that B&B does business with SF? I would highly doubt that to be the case and them have Shure knockoff products in their store.

I was of the impression that Shure is fairly aggressive in protecting their brand these days with all this counterfeit foolishness going on. I would be very surprised if SF Marketing would turn a blind eye to any situation like that if they knew it was going on.

It is not altogether uncommon, even even dealing with small little hole in the wall stores, for the legal depts of these corps to fire off cease and desist letters, which I bet takes care of most of the problems with little fuss.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby macrae11 » Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:17 am

I have no idea if B&B does any business with SF but even if they did I doubt SF would do much.

Shure might send a form letter but I still doubt it would go much further than that.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Christian LeBlanc » Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:27 pm

I can be astoundingly naive sometimes, but - would B&B know that they're selling knockoffs?
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:49 am

Christian LeBlanc wrote:I can be astoundingly naive sometimes, but - would B&B know that they're selling knockoffs?
I guess that would depend on how those items were coming into their hands.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Scott DeVarenne » Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:52 am

Image

Either you are with us, or you are with the counterfitterers!

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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby adam » Sat Dec 29, 2012 11:58 am

For what it's worth, Beats & Bytes:

a) was selling their Shure "replica" (*cough*) microphones as such. Although I still think it was kind of lousy of them to have had the product in the first place, they were definitely not making it seem like something it wasn't. They also sold "replica" (*cough*) Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.
b) no longer carries these products.

They are, however, stocking the hilarious SHINHURBER NEW SERIES:

Image

Don't get me wrong; I love this store, but yeahhh.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:23 pm

adam wrote:For what it's worth, Beats & Bytes:

a) was selling their Shure "replica" (*cough*) microphones as such....
I know I've heard of them selling "replica" product like the Senn. above, but what I saw there myself were full on counterfeit SM58 mics. Maybe they didn't know it, but it was obvious to me and anyone who's familiar with the product at all.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby dylanger » Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:03 pm

They knew, I asked. I asked, are these fakes, they said, yup and really good ones.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Mathieu Benoit » Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:26 am

As a matter of law, there is a difference between calling something "Shinhurber" and calling it "Sennheiser". One is clearly defined as counterfeit, and the other is more of a grey area. That is not to say that it is exempt from prosecution however. It simply depends on one's interpretation of "essential aspects of a trademark" and how far the counterfeiter pushes their luck.

House of Commons wrote:(a) “counterfeit trademark goods” shall mean any goods, including packaging, bearing without authorization a trademark which is identical to the trademark validly registered in respect of such goods, or which cannot be distinguished in its essential aspects from such a trademark, and which thereby infringes the rights of the owner of the trademark in question, under the law of the country of importation;


The intent to distribute counterfeit goods is a CRIMINAL offense, just to make sure we are clear.

RCMP wrote:Penalties
•Under the Copyright Act, the maximum penalties for unauthorized manufacturing, importation or distribution of copyrighted products are a $1 million fine and five years in prison.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/fep-pelf/ipr-dpi/index-eng.htm

Openly admitting to doing so doesn't protect them from said prosecution either.

We see a fair bit of this at the CBSA. If the goods are imported by a private use with no intention to distribute, then the goods are seized by the CBSA and the importer is notified of the reason for seizure. If the goods coming in are believed to be imported for commercial sale, we seize the goods but we also gather all the relevant data and hand the case over to the RCMP. If the RCMP feel that there is enough probable cause, they will charge the importer criminally.
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Re: Be careful buying "New" mics and other goodies out there

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Sun Apr 28, 2013 11:54 pm

On a related note... Newbs who have purchased knock off mics are jumping on message boards to talk about the way they sound, even when they know they aren't the actual item. I'm seeing conversations like, "I know I just have a knockoff, but why do people like SM57s?"....when they haven't even used the real thing!!!

facepalm

Screwed again....
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