Archival #: 1

Site: Gujranwala

Interviewers: Muhammed Mughni

Interviewee: Usman

Interviewee Status: Consumer

Demographics: Student, age-22, male, UET Lahore

Interview Time: 50 minute

Date of data collection: 14.05.2015

Data collection method: Semi-structured interview

Language of Data: Urdu/English

Transcriber: Muhammed Mughni

Translator (from Urdu to English): Muhammed Mughni

Typist: Muhammed Mughni

Date of computer data entry: 15.05.15

[Usman is my cousin he is doing Electrical Engineering from UET Lahore. I had called her for interview. He agreed and I call him at my home for interview. We started informal discussion about counterfeit topic]

Interview topic is counterfeit products.

“Counterfeit is replica of original product or duplicate product”

This interview was designed to gather information from interviewee in regard to

the following outcomes:

To understand what motivates peoples to buy counterfeit products.

When people buy counterfeit then how can they justify it.

What is the intention of people behind purchasing of counterfeit products?

Buying counterfeit product is ethical or unethical.

Mughni: do you know what counterfeit product is?

Usman: no I don’t have knowledge what counterfeit is.

Mughni: counterfeit is replica of original products.

Usman:ok

Mughni: have you ever purchased Counterfeit products.

Usman: yes I purchased many time counterfeit products.

Mughni: When you buy product do you know that you purchase original or

counterfeit product?

Usman: Obviously everyone knows what they purchase it is clearly difference

between original and counterfeit product. According to me there are 2 things

through which I clearly identify weather it is original or counterfeit product first

Place from where I purchase the product and second quality of product there is

hell of difference between quality of both original and replica product.

Mughni: What kind of counterfeit product you purchase?

Usman: I purchase so many counterfeit products like jeans, wrist watches, glasses

and so many things.

Mughni: why you purchase only these things.

Usman: look it is difficult to define why I purchase only these things but I have to

answer so I purchase these things because these things are easily available and

original of these products are so much expensive.

Mughni: which counterfeit brand you mostly buy.

Usman: in glasses I purchase Ray ban, in shoes I purchase Levis shoes and so on I

purchase replica of famous brands. . These products are commonly use products

and its look good when you wear a branded t-shirt or jeans and it is difficult to

identify weather it is original or counterfeit.

Mughni: What is the intention behind the purchase of counterfeit product?

Usman: Price of product is main factor of purchasing counterfeit product, price of

original brand is high and some time is out of range only few people afford or buy

original product or you can say upper class of society purchase branded products

and price of counterfeit products is low and in rang every one can afford it.

Mughni: do you think there is any difference in quality of original and

counterfeit product.

Usman: There is hell of difference between quality of original and counterfeit

product you can use counterfeit product for 5 or 6 months but you can use

original or branded products for 3 or 4 years. But you can purchase 3 or 4

products in the price of 1 branded product.

Mughni: According to your perception why people purchase counterfeit

products.

Usman: as I mention earlier that price is major factor behind the purchase of

counterfeit product and I thing more I want to add now people are more status

conscious they want to wear branded products but they cannot afford it so they

buy counterfeit products to strong their social belongings.

Mughni: From where you buy counterfeit products?

Usman: Counterfeit products are easily available products in every mall in every

market you can easily purchase counterfeit products. In our city there are less

original branded products shops and more counterfeit products shops.

Mughni: when you mostly buy counterfeit product.

Usman: I mostly purchase counterfeit products when Quality is close to the original, if the quality of the product is high.

Mughni: How can you differentiate original and replica product?

Usman: Stuff and quality of original and replica product is different. Quality of

original product is good and quality of replica product is not so good. But both the

product same in look there is no difference in look of replica product they look

like original.

Mughni: You feel guilty when you purchase counterfeit product?

Usman: why should I feel guilty? I’m paying for it no one can say it’s unethical I’m

purchasing product after paying money then how could it become unethical.

Trend is rapidly changing and people cannot afford branded things because price

of branded products is so much high so people prefer to buy counterfeit products

because they can approach these products.

Mughni: When you buy counterfeit product you tell your friend that you buy

counterfeit product?

Usman: yes whenever I buy counterfeit product I try to tell other peoples so they

can also buy. I never try to hide this thing from my friends infect I tell them I

purchase this thing in less price and motivate our friend to buy same product.

When people buy replica product they feel confidence and they tell other to buy.

Mughni: is counterfeit help your personality to build image in society.

Usman: yes counterfeit give confidence to me in this era people want respect and

the time in which we live they can only get respect by wearing good things.

Person who wear cheep cloth no one person try to approach it and the other

person who wear good or branded cloths every person try to approach.

Mughni: What is your motivation behind purchasing counterfeit product?

Usman: Counterfeit products is just look like original products that’s why people

prefer to buy counterfeit products the price of original levis pent is 8000 but the

counterfeit levis is easily available in 2000rs.

Mughni: Selling counterfeit products is ethical or unethical?

Usman: basically it’s depending on mentality of people different people have

different perception on this. According to business point of view it is unethical

because a brand spend a lot of money to built their image, creating desirable

place in consumer mind through advertise heavily and make other expenses to

stand so it is unethical according to business point of view. But according to

customer point of view it is ethical because they have the right to buy anything.

Mughni: How people come to know about counterfeit products?

Usman: Through word of mouth people come to know about replica product

people tell other peoples about different offerings and the place from where

replica products are easily available. Social media mostly advertise replica

products like t-shirts, jeans, glasses etc.

Mughni: Do you recommend other people to buy counterfeit?

Usman: yes I recommend other people to buy counterfeit because someone is not able to buy brand product due to high price then he can buy the replica copy of that specific product. Counterfeiting takes place mostly in middle class level where the consumer does not know enough regarding brand conscious product

Mughni: Why people buy counterfeit?

Usman: People buy counterfeit products because they did not have buying power

and branded products are much expansive so they did not afford branded

products and buy counterfeit products. Second Brand name is the important thing

when we purchase counterfeit product third price of counterfeit product is low

that’s why mostly people buy counterfeit product.

Mughni: when you buy counterfeit