Combating copycats and a changing consumer culture: Disney's lessons from China

Disney, as with many brands in China, has faced a problem with copycats. But while fake handbags and running shoes are one thing, attempting to closely replicate an entire theme park is quite another.

Combating copycats and a changing consumer culture: Disney's lessons from China

Geoffrey PrecourtWarc

When an imitation Rolex shows up on a street corner, there are teams of attorneys who track the fakes back to the factory and close the place down. And it's not a pretty story for the sweatshop that gets caught manufacturing replica Nikes. But what happens when a series of knockoff themeparks - with the all-too-familiar name "It's a Small World" - start popping up in China? What is Disney to do?

"It's 'to each, his own,'" explained Paul Caswell, senior manager, global consumer insight at...

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