Originally Posted by
timtak
Maybe but, if they were counterfeits that were that good at replicating the pedal/mechanism part, then I would have thought that they would have replicated the axle, but the axle was completely different. There was for instance, no flat part on the axle to tighten it but rather used an Allen key through the crank. And they were sold as another brand. Perhaps they were counterfeit seconds.
I have also purchased some light bladed spoked deep rimmed wheels which look identical to a famous brand, had that brand's rim tape, but no branded printing and a slight bump/gap at the join in the wheel. I asked for a partial refund due to the gap and was told at this price, that is what you should expect. I am still using those ones gap and all. I presumed that they were seconds that had failed the famous brand's QA too. But maybe not.
I used to work in a job that encountered counterfeit items. In counterfeiting, both items, money, and other documents, the level of sophistication is both based upon skill of the counterfeiter, and the intended use of the item. The first is possibly an issue here, however the second is most likely the main part. These manufactured counterfeits are usually (but not always) sold in a venue that does not allow close inspection and will often have many photos of the items, but photos of key areas that would reveal the non-authentic nature of the product are not there. International internet buying is a perfect opportunity for this. Both from the aspects I mentioned, and from the hassle at getting a refund if detected. Even if the money is immediately refunded, the nature of the sales platform is such that many folks will just say live and learn and not pursue refunds or leave bad reviews (which might be removed). In fact, reviews and refunds also help the counterfeiter fine-tune the product to more accurately simulate the true item. Additionally, non-branded items are more accurately called knockoffs as they look like, but do not present via names and branding to be the original.
In currency and travel documents, they are often not designed to fool experts, but to look good enough to get past a cursory inspection. Bogus currency gets negotiated at retailers, not banks for a reason. Bad ID documents are not usually shown to issuing authorities or police, immigration or customs officials who might be able to detect them, but will be shown as ID where detection is minimal or used in another country..
In my experience with Shimano pedals, the versions with the flats are often lower on the group/name level than the allen key version which is present on the higher end both for both appearance and quality. Some in the middle range may have both.
From your reply, given the major anomalies from the actual brand(s) they resemble (axles, etc.), or they do not bear the brand name or totally replicate a named brand, that would not actually be a counterfeit. Yes there might be patent infringement, but that is beyond the scope of this thread. I have seen seconds of items, but they were branded, came in a manufactures packaging and were labeled as a blem (and often marked with on the item with a punch mark, a "B", or other symbol, and carried a reduced warranty.
Whether, counterfeit, replica, knock-off, etc., my issue is buyer beware (especially with PRC sold items, eBay items, or lately Amazon items), and additionally, would you trust the item if it was NOT the actual branded item, especially a stressed item on a bicycle like a rim, pedal or stem..