Purchasing Counterfeits…The Cheaper, The Better?

Written By: The IDA Counterfeiting and Patent Infringement Policy Task Force

The IDA Counterfeiting and Patent Infringement Policy Task Force was created to bring to light the problems created by purchasing counterfeit products.  Not only does it impact those companies that spent time and money developing the original product, in the long run it impacts your bottom line and quite possibly your health and that of your employees.

This ever-growing problem has prompted a new monthly article series in the IDA newsletter focusing on different aspects of counterfeiting and patent infringement with the goal of better educating our IDA members.  Cheaper isn’t always better and in some cases it’s downright hazardous. The name brand companies in the market work hard to make products safe and reliable so that dangerous issues do not come about. 

Our official IDA policy states that IDA does not condone the use or purchase of counterfeit or gray market products.  The sale or production of counterfeit tools or products, theft of intellectual property, or patent infringement is outside the scope of ethical practices tolerated by members of the International Detailing Association (IDA), and will result in revocation of IDA membership if accusation of such acts is proven valid in a court of law.  As a member of the International Detailing Association, we ask that you commit to upholding to the best of your ability the guidelines set forth in this Ethical Practices Policy. 

Our November focus is on batteries and offers some sage advice from Underwriters Laboratories (UL).    

Only Purchase Certified Batteries from Trusted Sources

An article by Underwriters Laboratories’ Dr Judy Jeevarajan indicates that a counterfeiter’s battery typically has some bare minimum safety mechanisms built in, unlike a properly manufactured battery with safety built into every aspect.  In linked article below, she maintains that developing an ideal environment to create a properly manufactured battery is too much work for counterfeiters and costs too much. 

See the full article here, as well as links to related articles: 

https://besafebuyreal.ul.org/resource/only-purchase-certified-batteries-trusted-sources