In the NewsNCC to clamp down on clone phones
The National Communications Commission has recently begun a crackdown campaign on the selling of “shanzhai” or knockoff handsets made in mainland China. According to the NCC, those selling knockoff handsets online or in stores will face a maximum fine of NT$300,000 (US$9,047). “The NCC does not care if shanzhai phones are copies of originals, or if they violate copyright laws,” said Lo Jin-sian, deputy-director of the Department of Planning under NCC. What it does care about, continued Lo, are valid radio frequencies, and any device without a valid radio frequency cannot be sold in Taiwan. “This policy is designed to ensure the rights of consumers. It is the same as that found in the United States and Japan,” he said. The NCC said that persons in possession of cloned handsets have nothing to worry about, since the clampdown applies only to the selling of the devices. It is legal for Taiwanese tourists returning from the mainland or Hong Kong to bring shanzhai handsets with them, as long as each passenger carries no more than five. Yahoo and Luten, two famous local auction websites, have started cancelling online auction sales of knockoff handsets. Meanwhile, genuine Apple iPhones are beginning to be sold in mainland China, and as a result the price of cloned iPhones is dropping precipitously. In the mainland, an imitation iPhone that used to sell for 450 Chinese yuan (US$66) now costs only 300 Chinese yuan. In Taiwan, too, the price of shanzhai iPhones has fallen from NT$4,500 to NT$2,500 per phone. In light of its multi-function capability and cheap retailer price, the cloned iPhone handset is a very popular gift among Taiwanese. In several middle and elementary schools in Taipei cloned iPhones are very common. Shanzhai handsets, on the whole, are designed for niche markets. For instance, its loudspeakers and super-sized digits make them easier for the hearing impaired and the elderly to use. (CYH-HZW) |
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