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knockoffs

A closer look at the knockoff Totoro figure that will haunt my nightmares…and maybe yours too!

If this is the spirit that lives in my local forest, then I’m staying out of it.

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Tasting Korea’s sweet that looks like a copy of a remix of a copy of a Japanese sweet but isn’t

The case of Toppo vs. Nude Pepero and Pepero vs. Pocky.

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Taste testing popular Korean and Japanese snacks that look similar: Pocky vs. Pepero

Which came first–the Pocky or the Pepero?

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Hey, online knockoff seller, is this a Puma tracksuit, or something else?【Photos】

We ask, and sort of get answers to, the questions this “super cool” tracksuit begs.

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Our reporter’s faith in the Google gods is shaken by a dubious online purchase of a luxury watch

Is Google a god, or is it just as fallible as man?

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U.S. government officials catch 86,400 Pokémon bootlegs without using a single Poké Ball

Because when you gotta catch ’em all, you ‘gotta catch the knockoffs too.

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Chinese knockoff of Splatoon to be released with “original” content, no one takes it seriously

After getting shut down once, you’d have thought the developers might have learned a lesson or two.

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Chinese bootleg invites us to learn about the wonderful world of anime legend…Guzuo Miyazaki?!?

That’s the familiar Studio Ghibli anime legend on the cover, but with a very unfamiliar name.

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Korean authorities seize 530,000 fake Pokémon plushies, show off portion in video【Video】

Pokémon are meant to be caught, after all.

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FAILure to launch! Chinese apparel company, Uncle Martian, faces huge hurdles over its “new” logo

These days, the “sincerest form of flattery” is bound to land you in legal hot water.

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Harry Potter and the F****ing Pigeons – Chinese bootleg’s subtitles are full of melons 【Pics】

I have to admit, I’ve always been a little confused about what’s going on in the Harry Potter movies series. Does Hogwarts exist in another dimension, or is it just located in a part of the English countryside so isolated that no one notices the packs of monsters roaming the forest and flying through the skies? Why does the debate about whether or not “Voldemort is back” continue for years after he’s first seen? And why are all these super-powered wizards too lily-livered to say the dude’s name?

But perhaps my biggest question is this: What’s the deal with all the melons?

Wait, you don’t know about the melons? Or about Harry’s middle management struggles as he climbs the corporate ladder? Then read on for all of these plot elements added to the beloved franchise by Chinese bootleg subtitles.

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Anime lingerie set is clearly inspired by Cardcaptor Sakura, copyright status somewhat murkier

While Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon remains the most famous and marketable member of the pantheon, she’s not the only anime magical girl with a devoted and passionate following. Four-member manga creative team Clamp has dipped its collective 40 toes in the genre from time to time, most successfully with Cardcaptor Sakura, which debuted in 1996.

In the run-up to the series’ 20th anniversary, we’ve been seeing more and more Sakura items being pitched to fans who grew up loving the franchise. Now it seems like someone has designed the most adult merchandise yet: Cardcaptor Sakura lingerie.

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Resort in the Philippines decides to stop ripping off Gundam, rip off another robot instead

It’s a fact of life that copyright laws just aren’t as strictly enforced in many other parts of Asia as they are in Japan. So when photos started making the online rounds showing a resort in the Philippines with a statue of anime robot Gundam that’s as huge as it is fake, we responded with a laugh and a shrug of our shoulders.

But maybe having their clear case of intellectual property infringement become laughed at online made the management of Jed’s Island Resort rethink their decision. Recent photos show that the statue has been repainted, and its new color scheme doesn’t look like Gundam’s at all. So, is it an original design?

Of course not! They just found a different famous robot to copy.

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Fake 7-Elevens across Asia: you can hide, but we’re on to you

Take a quick look at the picture above. Notice anything strange? Perceptive readers may have spotted something out-of-place right away. If you didn’t, well, no worries, but you’ll probably want to facepalm yourself when you take a second look.

Like this Chinese “7-Twelve,” there are a number of fake, localized versions of popular convenience store 7-Eleven scattered throughout the Asian continent. They may think they can slip through the cracks, but perhaps it’s only a matter of time before a lawyer comes knocking at their doors. We have to hand it to them, though–they score high on creativity for coming up with some amusing names.

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Resort in Philippines has literally giant Gundam rip-off, plus Disney and Marvel knockoffs galore

Although the Philippines have plenty of seaside travel destinations, Jed’s Island Resort isn’t one of them. Being located in the landlocked municipality of Calumpit means that while Jed’s isn’t far from Manila Bay, it doesn’t have any coastline to call its own.

That’s OK, though, because you can still relax in one of the resort’s nine advertised swimming pools. And while you may not be able to enjoy listening to the sound of the waves, you will be able to look up at Jed’s gigantic Gundam statue that’s as tall as the one in Tokyo yet far, far skinnier. Not into anime? Not a problem! Jed’s is also home to beloved characters from Disney, Marvel, and DC…or at least their disturbingly off-model, knockoff doppelgangers.

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