As e-tailing continues to gain momentum people will usually report the following when asked what concerns them; Identity theft when using credit cards, not being able to try/wear the item prior to purchasing, the viability of returning a faulty product and the conceivably receiving a replica or a non-genuine item.
Of course reputable stores protect shoppers against these things. eBay for example allow items that bear a company's official brand name or logo to be listed as long as the products were lawfully made by, for, or with the consent of that company. They don't allow replicas, counterfeit items, or unauthorized copies to be listed, etc.
I thought I had seen my share of replica products over the years and I usually associate replicas with watches, sunglasses, leather goods etc. By definition replica or counterfeit items are manufactured to look or feel like the genuine item. It’s rare that a counterfeit item is made of a non-existing original. But it seems they do.
For years I’ve enjoyed collecting The Adventures of Tintin by the Belgian artist Georges Rémi. It’s been fascinating to read the progressive reprints which have reflected the changing times and social norms. Not long ago for example, there was a court bid to ban Tintin in the Congo, for its racist portrayal of Africans. The book was first published in 1930 and it has been said that many of the scenes range from politically incorrect to hideously offensive, including one in which a black woman bows before Tintin exclaiming, "White man very great. White mister is big juju man!"
So imagine my surprise to read about Tintin in Thailand. Here’s the thing. Georges Rémi never wrote a Tintin adventure in Thailand. The real Tintin never visits Bangkok. As it happens Bud E. Weyser (a parody of Budweiser beer) is listed as the author. As well as the new volume, the characters are, of course, imitations of the originals, and are presented as acting uncharacteristically, such as by using profane language.
Tintin in Thailand opens with the first of many self-references where on a rainy and cold day Tintin and Captain Haddock are miserable and poor because there are no new Tintin adventures. They didn’t have to wait long though as Jolyon Wagg's wife arrives to Marlinspike Hall and ask them to go to Thailand to look for her husband who went there on a trip he won from his employer, the Rock Bottom Insurance Company, but never came back.
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