'\'Chinese piracy'\' reaches Mexico's rustic furniture

Emerging Markets Economy, Apr 8, 2003

First were the toy, footwear, jewelry and textile sectors, but now even the industry of rustic furniture undergoes the disloyal competition of Chinese manufacturers, who copy the Mexican designs to gain market to the national industry in the United States.

Manufacturers of furniture and specialists in patents registry, brands and author rights, indicated that the problem of "piracy" of Mexican designs hits to the local sector, because the Chinese have gained market in the neighbor country, when offering the same type of furniture that those that Mexico exports, but with lower prices.

From the near 1,200 manufacturing companies of furniture in Jalisco, 10% are dedicated to rustic furniture, whose main market of export is the United States, where 70% of all the production of the branch that is commercialized in the outside is bought.

According to El Universal, the leader of the Association of Manufacturers of Furniture of Jalisco (Afamjal), indicated that in spite of this disloyal practice on the part of China, the industry of the branch continues setting standard in the design of furniture, because while the Asians copy a design, a new one is already being made in Mexico. - (EMEconomy.com)