The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.
- Salvador Dali
We come across a lot of things that fascinates our eyes. Some of those things, we fall for. And no matter what we want those things. Either it is a Smartphone, tablet, purse, Clothes; everything as a matter of fact. Everything looks eye-candy. Look at myself for instance. From Sneakers to the High-end-Laptop. Everything is in the check list. But I don't have all of them. There is this money factor. So, I don't get to stock up my room with all the latest gadgets, shoes, etc etc things.
If I am not wrong there are a lot of people just like me. But they always think ten times before buying because of the price. So, what do some people do? They make the replica of those things with another name which sounds near to original. From iPhones to Shoes, everything has a replica. So, when people can't afford to buy an original Mobile, they go for a China Piece which they think is more affordable. And later after a month or so, they curse the phone for working properly. And it is easy money for the dealers. But there are a lot of drawbacks of using a fake product.
Is it just the products? NO. Everything is being duplicated these days. The Piracy DVD's of the movies causing a huge loss to the director & producer of the movie. The content in the blogs/ newpapers / articles /every single thing. The Photographs taken by some photographer is copied without prior reference or permission. There is loss of originality. As I say, I remember the following quote.
Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original.
- C.S. Lewis
So, Why People opt for a non-original(fake) product(s)?
We love sneakers, iPhones, RayBan, Gucci, etc. But the problem? The Cost is too high. And that becomes the most obvious reason. Products being over ten folds cheaper, makes people thinking into buying. And most people end up with RayBay (Ray Ban), Cuggi (Gucci) or an Arwani (Armani) product. Not only these, there are a train of products.
What People don't try to understand?
Though the price may be too less, but the Quality of the product isn't that good. The durability is very less. And though people know most of these things some people still prefer Fake-Branded Products. Well, it is the so-called fashion these days. And the problem with the mobile phones is that they emit radiations for starters which is not present in most standard mobiles and the cell reception isn't quite that good. You would find people shouting, Hello as loudly as they can but still the person on the other end won't hear a word.
What contributes to the high price of most products?
The products are carefully designed to increase customer satisfaction and avoid any problems to the users. These are thoroughly tested before being sold, a case absent in fake products. The raw materials that are used for making a product are standard approved products which are qualified by the manufacturing company, another case absent in the fake products where cheap non standardized raw materials are used. And all the original products use patented designs and equipment to maintain a certain standard for the product.
Why am I ranting about this ?
A recent Indiblogger meet comprised a seminar about the use of original HP cartridges. #OriginalCopy
The Original IndiBlogger Meet with HP #OriginalCopy
The Meet was Sheer Awesomeness and Original indeed conducted at Fortune JP Celestial Hotel by IndiBlogger. During this meet was a Seminar by conducted by HP Category Manager For HP Printers. He mentioned about the use of original products stating the advantages.
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He spoke about the HP Printers cartridges where people tend to refill them with INK which causes serious problem to the printer and the printing quality is also not upto the mark. Let me summarize it :
The Cost?
It is known fact that earlier the Cartridges were a little more priced and it was equivalent to buying another printer. But these days, a Cartridge is available for Rs. 449/-. If you still think it is better to go for refilling it rather than spending money, let me tell you something on it. The refilling may be cheap but the quality of the Print is not as appealing as it should be and sometimes there is only half-print - making you print more copies. Secondly, the printer's durability & performance is reduced due to the continuous use of refiled cartridges ending up damaging the printer on the whole.
Why should you prefer HP inks?
First of all, they are eco-friendly. Secondly, you get the finest of the prints with HP inks. And thirdly, you get the maximum number of prints, may be double the prints than you might get by refilling.
And Why Not HP Inks?
These days people are so dissolved in the technology that people don't wish to step outside their home. Everything is done through the internet. So, keeping the busy people in mind, HP has introduced Dial-a-Cartridge (1800 425 4999) in which you get the Cartridge at the luxury of your home. And if someone is too lazy to pick up a phone, one can order online as well.
How to identify a Genuine Product?
With increasing duplicity and faking of products, it sometimes becomes hard to identify the original product from that of a fake one. So, the HP Inks comes with a QR code. The application is available on various mobile platforms which anyone can download and check the originality of the product. Else you can type the Serial number and check whether it is a Genuine product or not. The online validation can be done from here - Online Validation. If on scanning using the QR code or through Online Validation, the result shows OK, then it is an Original Product. There are other ways like the hologram effect which should like this :
2. The "OK" and "✔" move in the SAME direction when the box is tilted right to left
Conclusion.
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You can find more details at the HP Portal. For any further information regarding identifying the Genuine Printer Inks (Cartridges) , you can get the information from here - How to identify a genuine HP cartridge.
Say no to FAKE. Buy Original - Be ORIGINAL.
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Originality is the one thing which unoriginal minds cannot feel the use of.
- John Stuart Mill
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And Lastly, A Special Thanks to IndiBlogger for Conducting the Bloggers Meet, to HP for Sponsoring and making us aware of the use of original cartridges.
A Original IndiBlogger Meet with HP #OriginalCopy, indeed.
- Ajay Kontham
Im a fake myself so I love fakes...BAS!!! end of discussion:P
ReplyDeleteAwesome. :P
DeleteAnd No Comments. :D
But I am having a hard time imagining you as a fake. :)
May be you are not. :P
Na na fake I am...its juz the way I say Im fake is completely original:P
DeleteLol.
DeleteOh, The way you say. :P
Still hard to believe. :D
Khuda jhoot na bulwaye toh aaj tak koi original cd buy ni ki {{blushing}}
ReplyDeleteLOL. :P
DeleteNot even one?
Nevvvvaahh Evvvvaaahhh !CD lena dur ki bat Pakistan me cable channels pe her indian movie release honay sey pehlay hi chel jati hai:D
DeleteHaha. :D
DeleteEveryone is fake to some extent :)
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Its' hard to be Original. Period. :)
DeleteHi Ajay,
ReplyDeleteIndeed, people fake a lot of things in day-to-day life. However, gauging the authenticity of something or someone can be quite a challenge. HP have done their level best to keep fakes at bay however, they're quite smart as well. They know how to take advantage of the loopholes and backdoor entries for their own gains. :)
Nice gathering bloggers of bangalore got during the HP meet. Wish something happens near my city as well :) :)
P.S. Do check out & vote for my entry for Get Published.
Regards
Jay
My Blog | My Entry to Indiblogger Get Published
Hi Jay,
DeleteYou are right. Gauging the authenticity can be difficult, but people do it anyway. Yeah, HP does have ways.
Yeah, it was great. And I too hope so. It is a lot of fun meeting the bloggers.
Sure.
Ajay
I don't think having these "fakes" brands are necessarily a bad thing. If people aren't able to afford the "real thing", I think having a cheaper alternative is actually good, and probably a better choice for the people who want both a "brand-name" and an affordable price. BUT, I guess it's when the other brands begin to "associate" themselves with the big brands, that it becomes a problem. Because it's obviously detrimental to the brand itself.
ReplyDeleteBut what I also see through my "eyes" is a different problem here! People are too obsessed with brand names, and because of that, other businesses that aren't "big" or "popular" don't run properly, hence this happens.
You are right. Having fake brands isn't a bad thing. Because most people can't afford to buy high priced brands. I was talking about the durability and the aftermath, if they get spoiled.
DeleteAnd there is that, the small businesses can't run properly due to the faking of the brands.
It even aint as much abt durability and brand success as about raping sm1 else's intellectual property right. Every product is a package of small n unique inventions that mark on creativity of the development team, be it a hi tech prod, a gaming gadget, a cell phone or a movie. Fake does not only takes away the sales from the original product but also the incentive to invent more and be creative.
DeleteNow that you mentioned it, I too feel the same.
DeleteI think it's good to have alternatives, but as blue mentioned, not things that rightfully belong to someone else.
DeleteYeah, you're right. :)
DeleteMonopoly is an intention behind campaigns for "Original", though originality is indeed a quality. Not to mention how much they use the brand name to over tag things. Many times companies patent those things which are not to be patented like living forms and blame poor farmers of "sed piracy" because they cross breeded crops, something which they have been doing for centuries as part of standard agriculture.
ReplyDeleteAlthough IP is for protecting the inventor's rights, large companies which work like a mafia use this to actually intimidate small inventors. Often they are too powerful for individual inventors. Faking similar names is one thing, but giving over weight to "originality" is different. How original is printing, how original is use of ink, how original is paper. The world has developed so much not because these were patented, but because these were open. When large companies with huge legal network patent things at every step they are blocking growth. For many companies the actual profit is not in making the major product, but selling the spares and repairs. By making the product spares very costly and incompaptible with other company spares thus eliminating the competetion they floursh, employ huge legal network tu bully inventors. Why don't HP allow all other companies to make cartidges for its printers? They won't because they want the monopoly. Even if some company is better thn HP in making cartridges they cannot sell it if HP has better technology to make printers right? One of the most successful companies in the world - AT&T has its success based on a cheating in IP done by Graham Bell. Who knows who actually did the research for which HP is owning the rights.
Also have a look at http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57496641-38/inside-intellectual-ventures-the-most-hated-company-in-tech/ (I haven't gone through this fully, but have gone through another article on this company, but got this one on googling this time) Most probably I will go for this same company if I want a patent, because if I don't they won't let me have teh IP. IP is a thing where law can do a lot of magic in favor of the powerful. Large companies invest very less in actual research, they generally acquire small inventions at small rates before people realise its real worth. They have people watching and strong legal back up for doing these.
Wow.
DeleteI can see a lot of valid points in what you just described.
Every business wants to prosper and eventually become rich. As a matter of fact, everyone! So, when someone duplicates something original, someone gets a loss while someone gets a profit.
And there are these - the buyers. Will they be totally satisfied with the product at hand? May be a few days and then they start complaining.
Maintaining Monopoly is what everybody desires to do. We wouldn't want anyone to copy our work and may be, make money out of it. Nobody likes that. And most of the things ae not always original as you say.
There is a quote :
Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. - Voltaire
Just being original and getting some original thoughts is simply impossible if we just sit in a cave without looking at the world around us. We look, observe and something strikes us fascinating and that is original. It is just the interpretation of what we see but in a different manner.
Thanks for dropping by and making a lot of valid points. :)