Gerry I totally agree with you that global counterfeiting and piracy have resulted in loss of jobs. But I feel counterfeiting and piracy can be tackled if all the countries come together and implement the anti-piracy laws strictly. It needs more global co-operation and I feel US should exert more pressure on countries like China to implement anti-piracy laws strictly.
"but at the end of the day, they are still just a bunch of criminals looking for fast and easy money."
Competetion is the key driver to hack the present technology. Everyone is trying to become masters with a short span of time, the urge to grow at a faster rate has made people to duplicate many products and IC's also.
Strong Protection acts have to fall in place to save all the hard work that has gone into the process.
Providing copy protection within an IC is probably the best way to prevent conterfeits. But protection mechanism are also required at the various developement stages of the Ics - since now right from the schematic to final physical layout of the IC - to tapeout -everything is handled by the software and all this data is available as a set of files on some computer. It could happen that an insider in your design team itself who could pass on this information for some quick bucks to a third party counterfeiter. How to protect such thefts?
@prabhakar, You made a good point on that, infact one of the major factors that lead to the growth of counterfeit stuffs is the fact that an insider leaked a secret or a trade secret.
I agree that IP theft costs us all dearly. In the world of highly complex IC design I used to feel quite immune to such criminality thinking "how could a dumb criminal create something so complicated?" Well for the last few years I have seen a lot of dodgy parts hit the markets. Some are unsafe, some are almost as good as the original but the common factors are they are available and cheap. This can drive the market prices down to unsustainable levels and make it impossible for some legitimate companies to compete. As a result jobs jobs are lost and wealth creation vaporized.
"The more difficult, costly, and time-consuming it is to copy high-tech devices, the less vulnerable they become."
Your highlighted comment is exactly spot on. These counterfeiters, no matter how large or small of an operation, are still nothing more than criminals looking for a fast dollar. The more protection we have in place and the harder we make things to duplicate means more investment and less return for these criminals. This also means more chances of getting caught. Let’s use the technology we have to help protect all of our valuables, intellectual and physical.
This is a good point Dave. Honestly, we could say one of key reason for counterfeit market's success is the price; people attitude is doing savings despite quality, especially at the time of financial crisis. As per Jerry's article, US Gov action for address piracy issues is very interesting, some doubts about effective results still remain (imo).
I agree with your points. As responsible citizen, we should also do our part not to purchase counerfeit and illegal products. I have seen many local indulging in this trend. Law should be more stringent and there should be solid foundation in education system from primary school to university. This may help the system in long run.
Counterfeiting is one of the most pervasive and serious challenges facing today's electronics supply chain, most applications that rely on electronics can be seriously compromised as a result of counterfeit and sub-standard products entering a customer's manufacturing processes, it is really causing serious economic harm to customer.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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