US Security Mag: China Destroying America

Published Jul 20, 2012 00:00 AM
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"Guerilla warfare on American trade secrets rages on" says a US security trade magazine, blasting China, and "turncoat Western CEOs" that "figures to create an eventual world economic Armageddon."

The magazine concludes with an attack on Chinese security manufacturers saying,

"The next time you check out those Chinese manufacturers at a security trade show, know that you probably already saw that exact same technology in an American booth."

So according to STE magazine, the print companion to SecurityInfoWatch, Chinese security manufacturers are rampatantly stealing American manufacturer's products.

It's the Exact Opposite

Unfortunately for the US, the case is the exact opposite. It is US manufacturers who widely re-label security products designed and manufacturered in China (or Taiwan, Korea, etc.). There are literally dozens of US security manufacturers who re-label products from China's big surveillance manufacturers like Hikvision [link no longer available] and Dahua [link no longer available] as well as other Asian suppliers like Everfocus, Dyancolor [link no longer available], Sunell [link no longer available], etc. Indeed, this dynamic was broadly reflected in our "Does Your Manufacturer Make Their Own Product?" review.

That's not to say that all American or European manufacturers do this. Overwhelmingly the most highly regarded camera manufacturers design their own products with innovative features even if assembly is done overseas.

However, despite the headlines that China IP theft gets (like the crazy Ubiquiti / mob story), the big issue for US manufacturers is not that Chinese are simply stealing from America. Chinese companies benefit from a host of real, fair advantages that jingoist screeds simply ignore. The Chinese 'threat' is real and will only get stronger as these companies get more experience and stronger domestic markets. The best way for US companies to 'defeat' China is to focus on delivering more innovative, advanced products rather than simply re-labeling China's own products.