Fake Canon 50mm Lenses

[Black Pearl]

Turns out there are a fair few fake Canon 50mm f1.8 II lenses knocking about.

http://www.digitalrev.com/article/make-sure-your-canon-50mm-f-1-8-ii-isn-t-fake

[ChrisLumix]

"Copy" surely, rather than "fake"? It doesn't pretend to be a Canon lens except  by design (the name is different).

[Black Pearl]

1 hour ago, ChrisLumix said:

"Copy" surely, rather than "fake"? It doesn't pretend to be a Canon lens except  by design (the name is different).

Nope - they're fakes. 

[ChrisLumix]

56 minutes ago, Black Pearl said:

Nope - they're fakes. 

Why do you say that? Clearly they've ripped off Canon's design, but they're sold under their own name. If they claimed to be Canon lenses then certainly I'd call them fakes. As it is, I'd call them 'rip off Chinese copies'. And possibly Canon could try and sue for infringement of patents too. But no-one buying them would be under any illusion they were buying a Canon lens, not with the name YuonDong (or whatever it was!) plastered all over them. 

[Black Pearl]

6 minutes ago, ChrisLumix said:

Why do you say that? Clearly they've ripped off Canon's design, but they're sold under their own name. If they claimed to be Canon lenses then certainly I'd call them fakes. As it is, I'd call them 'rip off Chinese copies'. And possibly Canon could try and sue for infringement of patents too. But no-one buying them would be under any illusion they were buying a Canon lens, not with the name YuonDong (or whatever it was!) plastered all over them. 

Why do I say they are fakes - seriously?

Quote

Canon Japan has identified that 18% of people have unknowingly purchased a counterfeit good in 2013, and that more specifically for photographers, many 50mm f/1.8 II lenses are fake.

Quote

They've discovered that counterfeit Canon lenses lack a space between the words "CANON" and "INC" on the plastic lens mount on the back of a lens. If you remove the rear dust cap and check that out, genuine copies read "CANON INC".

 

[ChrisLumix]

2 hours ago, Black Pearl said:

Why do I say they are fakes - seriously?

 

THOSE items you just mentioned are clearly fakes. But I thought you were talking about the lenses in the original video you posted? Those aren't marked Canon, but are obvious copies, marketed under a different name (at half the price, but as the reviewer says "You get what you pay for").