As reported in the latest Tamiya Model Magazine International - issue 104, there is a Chinese company by the name as 'KMY' that is ripping off Aber's superb photo-etched products!They have copied the instruction sheet and even left the 'Made in Poland' on them! How's that for flagrant, not to mention copyright infringement?!
So, please do not buy these products if you come across them, in fact report the seller or at least notify them of the products.

thanks for the warning....
there lot's of immitation stuff from China.........

I try to inform Aber about that.

I won a pair of the KMY T-34/85 PE sets on eBay a while back. I didn't realize they were Aber copies, in fact I haven't even opened the sets yet. I'll have to take a look at them tonight. I believe the seller was based in Hong Kong.

Thanks for the info! Good thing I only go for Eduard, Verlinden and Finemolds.

That's pretty bad, photocopying the instructions and having the Made in Poland on them! But just out of curiosity...in this world of aftermarket products, we all know that it can get downright expensive to get this stuff, I would bet that the PE is probably cheaper, and I'm sure that we all want to get product at the best possible deal and prices, and I'm sure it has crossed the minds of people to get the KMY PE to save money, and not really care if it's being ripped off of Aber or ABC Company. If the Aber set is $50, and the same thing from KMY is beside it for $25, what are you going to get? Of course it's flagrant copyright infringement, and I don't condone it, but you have to wonder what people would do...
Just my thoughts.

Go Flames Go!!!

It is in the long run where stuff like this will hurt all of us. Companies like Aber and others who do get copied or ripped off will eventually see profit margins drop. When that happens, they will certainly be less likey to invest in R&D on new products.

Can you say "no new releases"?

If ABER doen't sell they won't be making any new photo etch so in the long run we all suffer if people like that can do what they want.
But that's my opinion

Hi all

Forget new releases, Profits drop far enough the company goes under. I'm all far for cheaper stuff but, we need to look at the cost in the long run.
Harry

This is just one more reason why we should not be doing business with Communists. How can we do business with a goverment that refuses to recognize international patent laws.

A little off-topic here but, if that's the case, careful shopping at COSCO! If you knew who they really were, you may not.

This is not an exclusive problem of communists, but a problem of third world countries and not just communist ones, just that with the help of the internet and mail order now you know whats going on. Hail Karl Marx!!!. again, sorry.

I also like to go for the cheap, but thanks him who said about aber not releasing new products, that made me think

Try owning your own business and see what it really costs to operate and ask yourself how you would feel if somone copied your stuff, whether it was patented, copyrighted, developed, etc. by your firm? It's the same in the download music business. It's stealing. We can justify any position from, "I don't have the money.", to, "I bought one original and just made copies from that for others.", to "I'm getting ripped off by ___." Nobody is twisting my arm to buy anything. I don't care if its bogus copies of Windows or how much money Bill Gates has. I don't care if its a recording by a rock group. It's stealing.
I am selling a business that is an intellectual property. How do you think I would feel if someone copied (stole) the construction manual, the marketing manual, the formulae, etc. and offered it at a fraction of what I have invested almost a mill in? And that's dollars, not pesos. These thieves can't exist without buyers. Support the outfits that support our hobby.

Sealhead