Fake Money

This is my collection of fake RMB (click photo for a larger image).All of these bills/coins I've been passed in the course of regular transactions.  So the question is--how in the world did I get a fake 100?!  (It's the largest bill available so it's never given as change.)  The only place that you can get 100RMB bills is the bank/ATM.  This tells me that if you can get the money printed and out of your factory you've got a good chance of getting away with it since even the banks aren't diligent enough to pull the fakes out of circulation; which the guys in this article (in Chinese, sorry) about a counterfeit RMB bust in Huizhou couldn't do.  Good pic's even if you don't speak Chinese.But having said that, have you ever spent money anywhere in China (street food stalls and taxis are the exception) that they didn't have a machine to check the money?  I'm sure that I was passed these in taxis at night, at least the 50 and the 20.  So if everyone is checking for these, and everyone knows you can get stuck with fakes how would anyone dare pass one?!  There aren't that many of us stupid white suckers taking night taxis in town are there?!And in a related note, just this week, China Observer (a great blog, by the way) was saying that "you can't counterfeit a BMW."  Wrong!  You can.  Shuanghuan did.  They got sued.I even sent pic's of the first one I ever saw to friends in the US 2-3 years ago.  I couldn't believe it.  So, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Shuanghuan "CEO."  Copy of the BMW X5.Here's more on other Chinese knock-off cars in Europe.  And to no one's surprise, the CEO is a complete "safety disaster."  The CEO is currently banned in Germany but still legal in Italy and of course in China too. (S-CEO image from MotorTrend.com)Another couple of blogs on fake money.The real point of all of this is this: if money and cars can be copied, why not your widget/art/design?  The answer is: It all can!  You need to take all the precautions you can to protect yourself BEFORE you starting passing around files/samples in China.  If you're sending samples to 10 factories for bids and then only have the one factory you choose to work with sign all the NDA's and other contractual agreements what are the the other 9 factories going to do with your samples/art?Work with lawyers in both your home country and China before you come to China.  Get agreements signed and chopped before you send artwork/samples.  Maintain a regular presence in the factory that has your information. Remove the molds/tooling that you paid for when your project is completed.