Copy of Halco lure awarded prize at China Fish 2008

Copying of products by Chinese manufacturers seems to be an ongoing problem and that was why we published the assurances by the organisers of the China Fish show that they would protect intellectual property rights.

It was therefore a surprise to see a letter from Ben Patrick, the MD of Halco Lures, published in Tackle Trade World, in which he stated that an exact copy of one of his Halco lures (copy right, original above) was crowned as the best new product at the China Fish exhibition earlier this year.

When we contacted him Patrick stated that he was not surprised to find another copy of one of his products, but he could not believe his eyes when he read that it was awarded a prize!

He said that he contacted the organisers of the show and asked them to come and see him at one of two subsequent international exhibitions which both attended, but to no avail. This left him with the impression that they are not concerned about the ongoing copying of products.

We asked the China Fish organisers for their comment, but also got no response.