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Today I received a press release from the Underwriters Laboratories alerting consumers and manufacturers to a counterfeit UL mark on an LED power supply. The release is pretty short, so I’ll include it here:
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — UL is notifying manufacturers, Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), consumers, retailers, and distributors that the LED Power Supply identified below bears a counterfeit UL Mark for the United States and Canada. This LED Power Supply has not been evaluated by UL to the appropriate Standards for Safety and it is unknown if it complies with the safety requirements for the United States or Canada.
Name of Product: Class 2 waterproof LED power supply, Model KSCFF1002400T1M2.
Identification:
On the product: The product bears a counterfeit UL Mark and the following:
Model KSCFF1002400T1M2
Class 2 waterproof LED power supply
E216698
Sold at: Known to be sold by Smarts Import & Export Co. Ltd., China and may have been sold at other locations.
If you have followed any anti-counterfeiting discussions on EBN, you’ll see there are a lot of different proposals for solving this problem. Rather than get into the merits of any of them, I can say they all have one thing in common: reporting known counterfeits. Whether you report it to your management, peers, customers, suppliers, a Website, a trade association, a government system, an NGO, or even Facebook or Twitter, flagging a counterfeit is a necessary part of every anti-counterfeiting solution.
This process is not without its problems: Many companies can’t send out a press release, aren’t members of a trade association, or aren’t familiar with sites that collect such reports. Sending out a release is no guarantee it will even get picked up. But even the smallest companies have a home page or Website. Post a notification on your site.
If you are a brand owner or sell branded products, let potential customers know there are counterfeits out there. It is one of the simplest steps you can take, and it may prevent a lot of hassle down the road. Counterfeit parts are bought and sold amongst companies in the electronics supply chain all the time. It happens. When it does, there is a lot of documentation, finger-pointing and rancor that follows.
If you have any doubt about this, take a look at the comments string in Where Are the VisionTech Parts? This concerns a single case that went to court. The investigation found that components sold by one company — VisionTech — affected more than 1,000 OEMs, EMS companies, distributors, and suppliers. Those are the ones we know about. I suspect there are others.
Thwarting counterfeits in the supply chain is an overwhelming task. But even the smallest thing — like notifying your customers and peers a bogus part is out there — contributes to the effort.
This is a very good quick action. UL should also publish names of Amercian/Canadian local companies associated with it and punish them for this.
I agree that the “exposure” of known counterfeit products is easier said than done. A multi-tier approach that includes this “exposure” along with more stringent screening methods and potentially DNA type marking technologies will help this important issue
Notifying customers of potential risk is critical. Failure to notify is “Knowingly” trafficking in counterfeits.
The government determined the risk level is high enough that the companies who purchased from Vision Tech and MVP need to know.
You can not rely on your ID supplier to willing pass that risk notification along. You must ask them specifically or they will not tell you.
Every single “End User” should immediately send a written formal request for the information. Protect yourself from liability down the road. Obtain a written response from all your open market suppliers. Request information on material sourced from the following:
Any material supplied by a source without a verifiable VAT or TAX ID and the following companies.
JFBK Inc AKA: New World Technologies Inc FKA: QFT Tech
JJ Electron ICS Inc. AKA: J J Electronics, J.J. Electronics, ShenJie, Square Bird Inc
J&W Technologies LLC AKA: JWT
Hongdark Electronic Trade Company AKA: Hong Dark Electronic Co., Hong Dark Electronic Trade Company , Hong Dark Electronics Co., Hong Dark Technology Co., Hong Xing Da Technology Co, Hongdark Technology Co., HongXing Da Technology Co., HongXingDa Technology Co, Shenzhen Hong Dark Electronics Co., Shenzhen HongDark Electronic Trade Company, Shenzhen Hongdark Electronics Co.
MVP Micro Inc – AKA: Chip Stop, Chipstop, Chipstop.net, Consulting Inc., BeBe Star Consulting Labra Electronics Inc. Labra inc., Becker Components Inc.Pentagon Components, Inc.
VisionTech Components – AKA: Vision Tech Components, Vision-Tech Components
The DOJ has issued statements they will go after End Users. You need your open market supplier's written response to show you did everything possible to identify potential risk.
All of the above companies have been identified by the US Government as Counterfeiters. Arrested, Convicted
@Frank: I agree. Exposure is useless unless it's backed up by concrete actions to ensure there's some permanent damage done to the company involved in counterfeiting. And the damage has to go beyond financial punishments because it's pretty easy for companies to pay fine and get away with it.
“This is a very good quick action. UL should also publish names of Amercian/Canadian local companies associated with it and punish them for this.”
@_hm: As far as I think, there would be more Chinese and other Asian companies involved in counterfeiting than American or Canadian companies. However, I'm unsure if any real action can be taken against these companies.
Thanks for the added backup, Frank! I was trying to think of a simple way to report this stuff and there really isn't. Information is so decentralized. A number of organizations have tried to centralize it, but we all know companies don't like to acknowledge they've been duped. Who does? Although posting on a website is largely CYA–in other words, you do what you can to alert your customers–it still has a limited impact.
Yes, it's interesting that the UL alert includes “authorities having jurisdiction,” but that's a pretty generic phrase. It also sems to me that the onus is on those authorities to follow up and prosecute. Maybe they do. I'll keep my eyes open for a follow-up.
@Barbara, Just as their are alert based srvices like EEContent.com and TPP for PLM issues like end of life and product change notices, do you expect we will see a 3rd party alert service for all industry sectored counterfeit notifications? The UL counterfeit is something that would be very difficult to pick up because the end user probably doesn't care because it is taken for granted. When I have ordered power supplies, I have specified “must have UL and CSA certs with labels attached to PS”. I never, ever called UL to see if the label was genuine. FYI, I have seen FCC labels faked too. By the way, this isn't really me writing.
Douglas (real or fake): I had an enlightening discussion with an industry source today. It turns out that the known options for reporting counterfeits, whether it is a Website; GiDEP, IDEA, ERAI, legal entity or something else, have a common problem. No one wants to admit they have purchased a counterfeit part. Not only is it embarrassing, but the consequences regarding customers, suppliers, distributors and other supply chain partners can lead to nasty things like distrust and lawsuits. Although there are mechanisms for reporting anonymously, there may be issues regarding backward traceabilty (if 'proving' a counterfeit comes to that.)
I definitely understand the reluctance to admit a mistake and worse yet have your supply chain processes vetted. But my sense is, none of the remedies we talk about here will make one bit of difference unless organizations are willing to admit they made a mistake. As to third-party sites: I think that might be a good idea. Again, there would have to be safeguards and a lot of due diligence, but isn't that what third parties are supposed to do? If done correctly, it might also address the anonymity issue.
@Taimoor: But majority of profit is taken away by local American or Canadain person. They should be held accountable.
I myself only use PC at work. At home I use iPhone most of the time. Think of PC we think of slow boot up time 🙂
This shift away from PC or Laptop is clearly visible in the younger generation. This new generation is relying more on their smart phones for everything that was being done on desktops by the previous generation – emails, skype calling, maps and what not.
So the desktops/Laptops are now relegated to only office space. Nobody now wants to carry that heavy laptop bags on their back.
With TV content now being available as a sevice on the net , the scenario at home is fast changing – no more those desktops or bulky TV sets, DVD players or home theater systems.
It may be a good idea for the manufacturing companies who get suspected spurious parts on their production line, with supposedly fake certifications , to report such cases to the certifying agencies like UL, these companies would be able to spread word much quickly about these counterfeits in the user community
Lugging even a notebook PC around either at home or on the road isn't fun anymore especially when there are some alternatives. I don't think even smartphone manufacturers are safe, though. Someday, we will have either paper thin devices that you can roll up and stuff into a small hand luggage or some other flexible device that weigh even less.
In some ways, I think we focus so much on the device we forget about its function. The PC is supposed to perform certain functions. When either those functions are no longer needed or other devices can do the same thing and not impose any burdens on the user that's when the PC days will be truly over.
People & Companies need to realize …
IT'S OK TO ADMIT YOU MADE A MISTAKE
or as my Dad used to say …
We are all human and will make mistakes, but …
It's NOT what happened .. IT'S WHAT YOU DO NEXT!
We all learn from our experiences and that is how we will be able to combat the counterfeiters and traffickers of components.
If we can all learn from each other's mistakes AND HOW WE WERE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, we can expose WHO & HOW components are being counterfeited and trafficked.
We are currently working on building a site as Barbara dicussed that will allow ANYONE & EVERYONE to be able to post and view issues involving the people, companies, part numbers, and situations surrounding counterfeiters, trafficking of countefeit products, the prevention of getting counterfeit product and the techiques-procedures.
THIS SITE WILL BE FREE
AND
ACCESSIBLE TO ANY USER WITH ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.
We are currently looking for ideas and people who believe in this cause.
——————————————————————————————-
If you have ideas on what you would like to see on this site
OR
You would like to be involved in the fight against counterfeiting …
WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING IDEAS & RESUMES
PLEASE SEND YOUR IDEAS & RESUMES TO :
Dan Matis at danm@ati-now.com
We will be reviewing all emails and replying to all.
We welcome all ideas, suggestions, and comments
@Prabhakar,
you are right on that, the younger generation may never have any problem switching from PC to the smart devices unlike the older generation which have a little problem switching to the smart devices.
I agree with you Bolaji,
Our need for the PC may be reducing day by day but as long as some of these fgunctions can still not be handled by the smart devices, we will still keep our PC.
Reading thriugh thr article again, I agree with one thing and that is PC is really more of work machine than fun machine now unlike those days when you can work and also catch your fun.
And as Bolaji rightly said, its no more fun carrying a laptop about when an Ipad is more convenient and more fashonable to carry about.
Now when we talk about PC and the tablets, we may as well refer to both as “Old school” and the “New school”.;
The younger generation seems to embrace the smart devices because it seems to suit them better
Faced with overwhelming evidence I have to admit it really does seem the PC is waning. I still happen to use my PC a lot, even for streaming video. But I hope I am never so old as to be inflexible. I just haven't bought a smartphone yet. But I will, and I no doubt will love it. (I have been shopping around, and so far I really like Samsung's). And I'm really trying to spend less time with my TV, but oh well…
Its a sure thing that by twenty years from now, children born that time may have to see a PC in a museum or a practical lab.
With all the smart devices around, will you really miss your PC or the smart devices are taking it place already?
Moreover, what will you really miss about your PC.
I like working on a PC because I like a full sized screen and a full keyboard to type on. Even if I didn't I have some work that has to be done remotely on a PC only as the hosting site does not design for mobile. Of course, 10 years from now the site will probably adapt, but not in the next year.
@Adeniji, 20 years a massive but i still see PC in market pretty well, although tablets and smartphones are just additional devices — mobility, yes!
While innovation has helped PC makers transitioned successfully from CRT to LCD/HD screen, while its keyboard part and CPU have also been miniaturized to fit in well without occupying much space. This would continue to PC manufacturing for some times.
One other indicator is the number of people at conferences holding smart devices (iPad and other tablets) versus those still using PCs. I saw someone with an after-market iPad keyboard and the combo looked pretty nifty. I wanted one but wondered if the combination wasn't looking retro-PC! With the new form of typing on smart devices we may have finally found a way to eliminate the keyboard.
What kind of computing do you do at home? Is it more recreational or work-related?
Mos of the time it's just browsing for information.
I don't know if the age of the PC is over or not but in my family we curently have three computers and each of the kids still want their own separately. It may no longer be the most optimal equipment for accessing information anymore but personal computers have ways to go before joining typewriters.
Anna,
Do the kids want their own desktop or laptop? Except for the enterprise, and some specific types of work I believe desktops are going to join typewriters sooner what we think.
-Susan
t.alex,
For just browsing information a tablet or smartphone do fine. I only would think of a desktop if I need a big screen. However, soon we are going to see in the market smart screens that we can use all around the house, or enterprise.
-Susan
Adeniji,
“Its a sure thing that by twenty years from now, children born that time may have to see a PC in a museum or a practical lab.”
I would say in less than 20 years. At the speed devices are evolving we could see the death of the PC within the next 10 years, or less.
-Susan
They want laptops to haul around the house and probably to watch movies on it or You Tube clips. I doubt anyone really thinks desktops are being bought that much by consumers. The desktops still being bought are actually going to offices and folks who need the higher processing power and storage space.
Ariella, I prefer the PC for that purpose also but as you noted it may soon be possible — if not already — to hook smart devices to a wider screen for home use. That's what many do with their notebook computers today.
Wale, The so-called smart devices popped up rapidly and are displacing traditional forms of computing such as the PC. You are right, though, that the central functions of many of these devices, whether smartphones or tablets, remain the same. The main use is to access information while the PC is used for processing. As long as that processing function cannot be done by the smart devices then the PC will be around in one form or the other for much longer.
What this means for PC makers is that they will become niche producers rather than the mass manufacturers of computing equipment they are today.
Besides the full keyboard and a large screen, İ think one reason to use desktops and laptops is the rich choice of connectivity and İ/O that come with them. İ often feel that anything less than 4USB ports on a PC is just not enough. The USB hubs are just not good enough sometimes. Their drivers are too flimsy and unreliable. İt's also great to have a VGA or HDMİ connector to have an expanded desktop on a separate TFT or LCD screen besides the native monitor. Although their uses are declining, CD and DVD ROMs are still useful devices and it's good to have one on a PC. Tablets are great for entertainment but they simply come any where near a laptop or a PC in terms of peripheral ports etc. They are too restrictive and force the user to find solutions on the cloud, which is not always preferred. İ like my tools to suit my needs and requirements not the other way round. Until an alternative that is better than a laptop or a PC arrives, İ am going to stick to my good old friend on my bench.
As the screen of smartphone and Tablet PC expands, it seems these smart devices to abandon its advantages of dexterity and portability, adding the original dvantages in PC, so can smart devices including smartphone and Tablet PC really displace PC?
It seems there is still this “little affection” for PC left in almost everybody. Taht alone may still keep PC around for a while and also most of the smart devices are made to be PC compatible for now even some of the tablets can be connected to PC directly probably still giving respect tp the “Legend PC”
Do we not all expecting PC manufacturers to come up with something that would still keep PC around, even if its just little modification around the present PC.
Desktops are still going to developing countries too.
@Anna,
I think easy mobility is one of the advantages of these smart devices which adds to the comfort of carrying one too. Then if I have to connect to big screen, don,t you think that my “mobility” has hindered some how?
@Anna,
YOu made a good point there, but what effect will this have on sales because its not an easy thing for a one time most “essential equipment” to now become “optional” in market
@Shelly,
That might be the fight to occupy the place of a PC or at least to stay relevant just like PC and go beyond mere entertaiment but into every aspect of our daily lives.
@Cryptoman: it's a good point, I've read several times your post and I am convinced you have figured out why we can't consider over PC's age. I wanted only to remind PC is a key component for new services coming soon, especially for allowing full remote control of home devices as per post-digital era paradigm.
@mfbertozzi
In the future, there may be a good substitute for a PC but I don't think it's that time yet. I do have an ideal set up in mind that would make me consider giving up my PC. My wish list is as follows:
1 – A tablet device that is dockable when working at a desk with a large enough screen (minimum 14 inches). The device should be th,n and light with good screen resolution.
2 – The tablet device should have a swivel head camera that you can move rather than having to move the entire tablet.
3 – 4 high speed USB ports, 1 VGA output, multi standard built-in card reader.
4 – Good driver support with an active developer community actively working on applications for the OS.
5 – Foldable and light keyboard that can interface to the tablet with Bluetooth or USB.
6 – Optional mouse connectivity option that can be used when working at a desk.
7 – Touchscreen interface should still work even when external keyboad and mouse are connected and working. (i.e. these interface options shall not be mutually exclusive)
8 – Good processing horsepower, good battery life (8 hours when working continuously).
9 – 256 GB SSD hard drive.
10 – A slim blue ray, DVD-RW, CD RW combo drive. It should be one of those Mac drives that you simply push a disc through to allow for a thin enough design.
10 – Of course, last but not least, a price that will not break my bank account!
Wouldn't it be a joy to have such a machine?
I am thinking for the full remote control you have mentioned, maybe the tablet devices we have today will suffice. They will certainly need an IR or a suitable wireless interface though.
I agree with you in that the edge devices are changing. Some groups are still “lagging” in the move away from PC but some of those groups are and have been the most techies (gamers) who are always looking for higher clock speeds, ram, graphics, etc.
Regarding your comments that we will migrate to a mobile-only connection, I have to disagree. Mobile infrastructure is not ready, and I don't think it will ever be, to handle all of our traffic. The push of FTTH and other fixed services validates that.
What I think is going to change is the data plans offered, those “all-you-can-eat”, will cease to exist (and I'm not talking about mobile plans).
@Cryptoman: well, your list is so long then doable to self-explain how PC is still a strategic component, at least for now; with regard to tablets, I think so, potentially some of them are in condition to replace most important I/O you have mentioned, but another point to discuss is about the power; right now battery still doesn't allow an H24-a-day operation, then we need to recharge it by using network power. PC are made for strong usage, for optimizing power consumption and they are also doable to manage better then smartphones the overheating phenomenon.
@Mr.Roques: I agree with you, the fiber brings any broadband capacity we need, but sometimes it is not easy to install and setup; the picture, at the end, is different, depending on country. It seems the future is towards mobile, in the sense that mobile providers are a step for deploying across the globe a whole wireless network. Have you ever heard of Interplanetary Network?
Adeniji,
Why would manufacturers be interested in continuing a product that is less and less bought by consumers?
-Susan
@mfbertozzi, Good point, but the coming devices may not look any thing in common with PC
Cruptoman, You really have taste but you asked for all this and you don,t expect it to be much expensive!
First of all, consider the effect of a 14″ inch screen on your battery
second, a blu ray DVD-RW
Third. high resolution screen etc
you really looking forward to a power house gadget.
At introduction, it will really be expensive.
@Adeniji
If this dream machine is going to replace my PC at home, I am sure I am not the only PC user who expects that. I would expect it to have the required specs. I do realise it is too much to ask for given the current state of the art and I do not expect this configuration to arrive anytime soon at an affordable price.
If this dream configuration will become a reality at an affordable price in say 5 years, I can wait. No problem.
My point was to give an indication of how unrealistic it is to expect that the PC era will be over soon. I think the PC era will not end but it will be “transformed” into something else potentially with a much better operating system than the traditional Windows. One thing is for sure though: if a market opportunity is created, some people will always be willing to fill it. This applies to the PC as well.
@AK: exactly, it seems exactly that scenario; that said, are you agreeing we can't say (at least for now) PC age is over?
I have, actually from Vint Cerf himself [interplanetary networks]. Very interesting.
Regarding mobile, it is a lot cheaper and faster, but available spectrum will always, always be a limitation. The limitation of fiber is cost, which is going down…
@Mr.R: exactly Mr.Roques, that's right, the matter is really fascinating. Coming back to the debat on network media deployment, on one hand is true, spectrum is usually limited, on the other hand fiber delivery impacts, sometimes, on physical urban path and the timeplan; usually, apart for smartcity or towns which already hold a broadband physical network, costs for fibers are still quite huge because we need to consider the physical impact for the deployment. Anyway I am convinced the near future is bringing several innovations for mitigating similar problems.
OK in that case a non-computer device should be fine. It might actually be more convenient.
@crytoman, I ageewith you on that, i also expect PC to come up with somthing but then, in the world of electronics nothing is design to stay forever.
Cost, in technology, is only a short-run limitation… in the long run, the cost will undoubtedly go down. So, even in rural areas, the cost of launching a fiber optic network, at least FTTx (to the curb, etc) will be reasonable.
Also, Universal Service Funds (USF) will continue to gravitate towards broadband adoption. This will create PPPs that can make the best use of the available funds.
Do they have the resources on their end to report counterfeiting on a widespread scale??
@MrR: well, absolutely yes, I agree with the fact fiber deployment's cost is only a limitation for now; other point to by-pass the issue, should be for example the possible infrastructure sharing among several players which are real owner of several infrastructures already deployed like Utilities, for instance. It could be a little help even in speeding up endusers' connections.