I'm glad people are making great contributions to the topic.
I've been watching, reading, and analyzing the whole ordeal with CCs in the community.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, but this is a revolution."
It's hilarious that there are privileged users here for whom rules don't apply like they do to everyone else, but that's another story. My thoughts and ideas on major issues may not be popular here because they do not coincide with the status quo, but since I am not looking to "fit in" for the sake of fitting in, I'm going to be honest about what is going on. I don't particularly care for CCs unlike many of you, but I would still like to acquire one at a reasonable/retail price because they look cool. What I do care about is this community as a whole and what it can be, not what it currently is.
The CC bubble will burst if the creator of the fake CCs decides to mass produce them. Like many of you, I am under the suspicion that the counterfeiter is located somewhere in Asia. Why? Because I don't think there are many capable and/or interested enough individuals within the scene in the West. With a few exceptions such as CC, Brobot, and Binge, most of the exceptional creativity and innovation seems to come from Korea and other Asian countries (LZ, GirlDC, users on OTD/KBDmania). It's for these reasons I believe the counterfeiter is from an Asian country -- not because of an ill-advised stereotype that China is land of the ripoffs.
Obviously, many of you here under the watchful eyes of moderators and the community would declare you would never want to purchase a fake CC. Let's be real here. Most of you, including myself, would not hesitate for an moment if no one was watching and/or judging you. Sure, buying these fake CCs would be a slap in the face to the creator himself, but is it really so bad if the abundance of fake CCs allows for most people to acquire one for cheap at a moment's notice? Think of the overall good for the community. Drama in regards to CCs will mostly disappear since most of the butthurt comes from the overpricing and limited quantities. Elitism surrounding CCs would instantly disappear since the "exclusivity" of the item would be non-existent.
Perhaps what I'm suggesting will go over the heads of many short-sighted users. Perhaps my views on the idea of a copyright are too radical. At the end of the day, folks, from the outside of the scene looking in, all the counterfeiter is doing is copying a piece of ****ing plastic. Sure, it's art to myself and many of you, but it's a form of art that can be easily replicated. Remind yourselves that a few of the people on this forum got their start in selling keycaps by copying copyrighted images and/or molds. Frankly, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. To me, it seems like many of you are upset, not with the fact that a copyright is being broken (has not direct on anyone but CC himself), but the fact that many of you have thrown hundreds of dollars down the sink because cheap replicas might soon be available. For all the drama the lack of CCs and the inflated resale prices have caused, I am glad that the idea of copyrights are not the same or even exist in most of the world.
Lastly, before a tirade of angry posts in regards to my views on copyright: how many of you pirate music, TV shows, and movies? How does this scenario differ? Because we "know" the guy behind the CC? The hypocrisy is overwhelming.
