Trademark rules exist for big companies ripping off smaller companies' IP as well as for smaller companies brazenly ripping off bigger companies' look and feel, and international law, remarkably enough, is not determined by b166er's purchasing preferences.

I suspect that if Apple were to make an absurdly obvious copy of a small company's L&F, most of those who would thumbs you up would be getting in line to scream bloody murder. But trademark rules do not apply only to companies you happen to dislike. If you oppose them, be prepared to accept small, innovative firms being put out of business when their IP and branding grabbed out from under them.

I guess if you'd accept the death of those businesses in exchange for saving ten bucks because some OEM can't be arsed to find any industrial designers in all of China, then good on ya.

But I'm not on board with that. I run a tiny-but-high-profile business which is highly dependent on its product design image. This is true not just for marketing, but is critical for quality perception. I've already seen people think that the horrid quality of a certain doppelganger applies to my products, which is brutal as people tell their friends, "oh, [my company] makes crap!" and the friends never get a chance to see that it's not true.

I may not be able to sue anyone myself, but at least the threat of litigation keeps the risk and barrier to entry high enough to determine or muffle most would-be copycats. If it were open season? Hell, there'd be a lot more than the one ripoff of my product that's out here now.

Until you think of the second- and third-order consequences of the things you advocate, get off your high horse.