Is the black market more profitable than the regular market now?

[oakley]

Something was wrong with Zhao Shengli's order of 200 Nokia phones at a wholesale market in Shenzhen--the phones were missing one of the languages he needed, Thai. The good news, though, was that the phones were fakes, and in China, counterfeits come with enterprising customer service. "We have factories right here," the stall owner, Xie Qiuqing, assured Zhao. "Come back at four this afternoon and the phones will be ready. It's fast."

Regardless of the state of the global economy, one robust sector that adjusts as efficiently as any other in the world is the Chinese black market. Despite years of official rhetoric about cracking down on pirated products, the urge to make a quick buck through imitation remains so entrenched in China that it has matured into a celebrated culture of its own.

http://www.forbes.com/global/2009/0216/014.html

"Shanzhai mobile phones can play in the gray area of Chinese law and can flourish in China," says Zhu Shouquan, a leading intellectual property attorney and the managing partner of the Beijing law firm Changji. Patent actions are legion in China but rarely lead to a significant tangible result.

[talbot]

Yes, the black market has always been more profitable..

[teyrnon72]

And our patriotic business leaders want to outsource their engineering and R - and D to places like this.. Just because American Engineers are too costly and might limit the CEO's ability to buy his fifth mansion in Conneticut to a time frame of 6 months down the road vs 2 months down the road.

[abraham90]

Gangs in the US that sell drugs, prostitutes, etc. can make a pretty penny, but they also risk being killed by rival gang members or thrown in jail.