BY: SRIDEVI SURYA

Governments, manufacturers and producers all over the world are upping the ante in a crusade to create awareness over the purchase of counterfeit products and Malaysian consumers are caught in a dilemma over what is the right thing to do.

There are all kinds of luxury and branded goods that are initiation products and Malaysians are keen purchasers although the quality might not be as good as the authentic product that is usually priced exorbitantly.

Counterfeit products are affordable and easily available and while they might not be durable, Malaysians, although aware that it is wrong to support the counterfeit industry, contend that they really have no options.

The manufacturers and producers of original products spend billions of dollars hiring top talent to create their products and they spend even more on research and development only to find that their products are being copied.

While authentic products also sell to the discerning and upmarket group that prefer branded items, the margin of profit obtained by the counterfeiters takes up a large portion of those who have sacrificed and worked hard for authenticity.

But this is definitely a dilemma that will not go away until original products are sold at a more affordable price and Malaysian consumers are educated and made aware why they should not give their support to counterfeiters.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher