However, some experts say even the notion of shanzhai brings about dangerous infringements to intellectual property rights.

An employee at Adivon insisted that their products are not copycats of Adidas and that all their products are designed independently.

In a statement e-mailed to the Global Times, PC maker Lenovo insisted that its LePhone, said by some consumers to bear a similar design and functions as Apple's iPhone, is an innovative product that was created using technologies independently developed by Lenovo.

An insider with Microsoft, speaking anonymously, told the Global Times that Microsoft is a victim of copies but acknowledged that the impact is not large, as Microsoft's core and advanced technology is hard to duplicate.

"Copycatting is more common for hardware than software," the insider said. "And in the fields where competition is more severe, copycat cases are prevalent."

Wang Jian, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said shanzhai products are only publicity gimmicks and marketing ploys.

Many such products have only seemingly superficial resemblances to original products but do not infringe the intellectual property rights in terms of either hardware or software, he said.

Wang Qian, a professor with the School of Intellectual Property at the East China University of Political Science and Law, said that "knockoff" is a grassroots term for "imitation," which could have legal implications, depending on specific situations.

"Whether these copies infringe upon intellectual property rights depends on whether the design or core technology of the products being copied are subject to intellectual property protection. If the intellectual property of a product expires, imitation and upgrading of it should be encouraged to promote the development of the industry," he said.

Feng Jun, CEO and founder of the giant Chinese consumer electronics brand Aigo, told the Global Times that shanzhai products are controversial, as they are not clearly defined.

"The act of stealing and pirating from other brands is intolerable worldwide. Developing self-innovated brands is the only way to make Chinese brands respected worldwide," he said.

But he noted that foreign companies also unfairly attack innovative Chinese brands with innovation as being copycats. Chinese entrepreneurs should use IPR as a weapon to defend themselves against some foreign brands whose popularity is declining due to lack of innovation, added Feng.

In 2009, courts across China settled a total of 36,000 intellectual property disputes, an increase of 29.7 percent on the previous year, according to Supreme People's Court.

(Global Times December 3, 2010)