About a week ago I came across a post on Facebook from a Z enthusiast page with which I agreed wholeheartedly and genuinely respected. It was urging consumers to support innovation by purchasing authentic parts, as opposed to the imitation. The post:
Hey Fam, It's Come To My Attention That There Is Now Imitators Trying to Replicate Our Louvers. Thank you for supporting the one & ONLY Official @Louvergang Family!
Okay. I respect that. I am not particularly fond of the recent louver craze myself, but if these guys are, in fact, bringing a new, desired product to the market for Z guys, then I am on board and like the fact that they are encouraging support for innovation and originality. The complete message:
Some highlights of the post:
When you purchase a new part from the group who innovated the technology, you are supporting further innovation in the community we all love. It takes more than blood sweat and tears to truly innovate in our culture. It takes comparatively nothing to make a cheap low quality copy of that innovation, yet it stunts community growth by rewarding those who steal and do not innovate.
Just as you worked hard for your money, real parts manufacturers and small businesses alike have broken their backs and made huge sacrifices to innovate new products for us.
…this is still a direct attack on our livelihood and a genuine crime. This is a theft of our intellectual property, and a mockery of our hard work. As a community, we cannot tolerate this blatant plagiarism. Please do your part to keep our community thriving. Educate yourself, know what you're buying. Think about sustainability and what your build reflects upon you.
PREACH!
Oh… Wait… Just a few days later, I see this post from the same Z enthusiast page:
A shot of a slammed Z34 with Nismo aero, right?
No. Replica aero with a link to the hack company that makes it.
So, let me get this straight… It is okay to rip off Nismo, but it is not okay to replicate the parts that this page produces? Is that not a bit hypocritical? If one is going to make the strong, assertive statements that are posted above, should that mentality not apply across the board?
By not only posting, featuring, and praising builds with fake parts, but by linking the marauding companies that produce those parts, this page is doing the exact opposite of what they preach above. This page is "[stunting] community growth by rewarding (ahem…advertising) for those who steal and do not innovate."
Come on!
BE THE FUNK. DON'T FAKE IT.
JDMphasis… Innovation over Imitation
No comments:
Post a Comment