4 ms·

Without a brand, how does the customer know who's products they're buying?

blowski 5y ago
Tangentially, it's fascinating how the opposite problem pops up on Amazon - how do I know I'm actually buying brand X on Amazon? Maybe the solutions to both problems are related.
- bastawhiz 5y ago
  It's almost as though there needs to be an organization that's appointed by and accountable to citizens to hold companies accountable for maintaining integrity on these matters.
  - randallsquared 5y ago
    An organization like, say, Consumer Reports? I assume that if they're selected by and accountable to me, I could choose to use a competitor organization, right? Otherwise they're neither chosen by me nor accountable to me, after all...
    - blowski 5y ago
      I think the OP meant Congress and the elected government in general.
    - bastawhiz 5y ago
      Maybe one that could break up monopolies or actually enforce consequences for endangering people with faulty or unsafe products. And one whose output shouldn't cost money to consume.
tenebrisalietum 5y ago
Do you even know with a brand? Companies buy and sell brands all the time. A crappy Android-based Phillips TV I bought about 2 years ago was a rebranded Funai.
- kbenson 5y ago
  You may not know exactly at any one moment because that's the nature of reality, things change, but you'll know with non-negligible likelihood that well known and respected brands will continue to be, or they will lose some of that respect and reputation. For example, I very recently heard that you should be careful about Philips TVs, and that they may be rebranded off-brand models. ;)
lapetitejort 5y ago
"Brands" in the literal sense would still exist. As a savvy consumer I would have to know all of the physical counterfeiting measures (the brand) of Louis Vuitton to know I was buying a genuine bag. That doesn't stop someone from replicating said counterfeiting measures. The group with the highest quality bag and/or strongest counterfeit measures wins the money.
- kube-system 5y ago
  Limiting the discussion to luxury consumer discretionaries really diminishes the gravity and scope of this issue. But how about B2B or B2G goods? How do you know there's not any counterfeit parts in the elevator at the mall? In your medicines? In the bridge you're driving on?
kristopolous 5y ago
IP generally doesn't mean trademark. There's other reasons for that existing. For instance, liability. Let's say the name Quaker Oates was allowed (with the e) and they used horrible inspection and poisoned dozens of people. Quaker Oats, the company everyone thinks of, could show damage to their brand. This isn't IP

Tangentially, it's fascinating how the opposite problem pops up on Amazon - how do I know I'm actually buying brand X on Amazon? Maybe the solutions to both problems are related.

bastawhiz 5y ago
It's almost as though there needs to be an organization that's appointed by and accountable to citizens to hold companies accountable for maintaining integrity on these matters.
- randallsquared 5y ago
  An organization like, say, Consumer Reports? I assume that if they're selected by and accountable to me, I could choose to use a competitor organization, right? Otherwise they're neither chosen by me nor accountable to me, after all...
  - blowski 5y ago
    I think the OP meant Congress and the elected government in general.
  - bastawhiz 5y ago
    Maybe one that could break up monopolies or actually enforce consequences for endangering people with faulty or unsafe products. And one whose output shouldn't cost money to consume.

tenebrisalietum 5y ago

Do you even know with a brand? Companies buy and sell brands all the time. A crappy Android-based Phillips TV I bought about 2 years ago was a rebranded Funai.

kbenson 5y ago
You may not know exactly at any one moment because that's the nature of reality, things change, but you'll know with non-negligible likelihood that well known and respected brands will continue to be, or they will lose some of that respect and reputation. For example, I very recently heard that you should be careful about Philips TVs, and that they may be rebranded off-brand models. ;)

lapetitejort 5y ago

"Brands" in the literal sense would still exist. As a savvy consumer I would have to know all of the physical counterfeiting measures (the brand) of Louis Vuitton to know I was buying a genuine bag. That doesn't stop someone from replicating said counterfeiting measures. The group with the highest quality bag and/or strongest counterfeit measures wins the money.

kube-system 5y ago
Limiting the discussion to luxury consumer discretionaries really diminishes the gravity and scope of this issue. But how about B2B or B2G goods? How do you know there's not any counterfeit parts in the elevator at the mall? In your medicines? In the bridge you're driving on?

kristopolous 5y ago

IP generally doesn't mean trademark. There's other reasons for that existing. For instance, liability. Let's say the name Quaker Oates was allowed (with the e) and they used horrible inspection and poisoned dozens of people. Quaker Oats, the company everyone thinks of, could show damage to their brand. This isn't IP