Hats off to the World Herald Tribune for their expose of how Chinese tech pirates successfully counterfeited the NEC brand, developing their own factories, R&D capabilities, and distribution (and to the Sydney Morning Herald for reprinting the story). It’s a long way from knockoffs of Microsoft Mice or Windows CDs: “The pirates were faking the entire company.”

If you’re heading to China or elsewhere in Asia, better cast a warier eye than usual on NEC-branded products. How much longer will it be before somebody figures out a way to clone a US company?