Counterfeit products of Angry Birds inspire new retail strategy

The many Angry Birds counterfeit items in China affect the sales strategies of the popular smartphone game, according to Peter Vesterbacka, CEO of Rovio, the company behind Angry Birds. Besides fake stuffed animals, pictures and balloons, they even built a Angry Birds Theme Park in China without Rovio’s consent.

Instead of being insulted, Vesterbacka states to be pleased about the many copyright infringements and counterfeit products. According to Vesterbacka, the counterfeit products and the Theme Park represent the populartiy of Angry Birds in China. Additionally, Vesterbacka claims to be inspired by the various counterfeit products.

Because the game is so popular in China, Rovio decided to open the first Angry Birds shop in China instead of in Finland, where the company was launched. According to Vesterbacka, many Angry Birds counterfeits are made ??because the real products are not available. By opening a shop in China, Rovio hopes to increase its revenues. It’s unclear what products will be sold in the Angry Birds store.

The response of Vesterbacka can be called controversial, since in my opinion no company is pleased with counterfeits of its products. However, the strategy of responding to the popularity of the counterfeit products of Angry Birds in China, seems a creative way of dealing with these counterfeit practices.

Reference: Techdirt

By: Karen Groen