its worse than most of you know.
I worked with a Local US mfg who makes product that gets sold world wide.
They sold a unit (large specialized machinery to make specific products, sales price for one is in the several million US.) to China.
It got "lost" on the docks in China for over a year only to turn up in various stages of disassembly. It was obviously taken and reverse engineered.
About a year and a half after that China starts making and selling competitor product that is a rip off.

I worked in Manufacturing for over 3 decades. I have seen the total lack of integrity by the Chinese, in fact they are proud of their underhanded ways.
I could go on for hours.

Yet the real villain is the American consumer who willing will buy only on price and sell out the western world and a more ethical way of conducting business.

I will gladly pay more for a product made anywhere other than china and if all I can find is made in China I ask myself do I really need this? Pretty much all the time its no, I can live without.

Manufacturering in America is over. Too many environmental laws, rules and regulations. Trump tried to fix it and for 3 years it was coming back, then Joey was appointed and revived all the road blocks. Whether it's listed as GM or China doesn't matter. Every other one coming off the assembly line in China is marked GM. May as well buy the least expensive one.

AND, don't forget the "THEY" in chinkland is the GOVERNMENT!

Lets keep this real shall we !!

China is not the only country doing this several others are as well and our money goes to these countries as well for many different types of reasons !
India, Pakistan, Taiwan, several other smaller Asian country's !!

We even have it here in our own country, with unscrupulous people and small companies doing it.

I've been copied by people on this forum, on my calling unit, when confronted here, do you know what was told me
Well being copied is a true version of flattery LOL, both said the same thing, patents won't protect you, it's up to you and your bank roll and what searching for a lawyer who is interested in what's probably not a media interesting thing to go public with for attention to even consider taking on the action to stop it !

The only way to stop it is don't buy from those who copy our products made and designed here, still then it only takes one sale out of country to some one who feels they can make some quick cash off a small investment to copy, re-engineer to put out there with a different name

I call it out right free theft though as thats what it really is, so before one buys it's really a decision on what you feel is really necessary the need for your buy out of country, or the support to go back into your own !

If you hire a lawyer to protect you you're wasting your money.

If you get a patent , you are wasting you're money as well, two ways in doing so and then trying to protect it !

If people wanted to really end the shell game , which it will never happen, is to just not buy anything with a part made in any of these countries, LOL like that will ever happen !!

One can't find all the stuff thats made in other countries that is everything we own now, !!

We have been conditioned to accept the junk we are buying today even if it’s subpar because it’s so common to buy that kind of garbage. Glues that won’t stick the same with electric tape pure trash. Had a tube of wire ties that broke when you zipped them tight. Wife brought home a pooper scooper it had an extendable handle that lasted about 3 minutes before I tossed it.

The wife bought storage containers not cheap either they arrived with a few broken they sent her another set free. They have a button you push that is supposed to seal and lock the lids. Some you can pull right off rather easily so they obviously don’t seal very well at all.

All the above is true, but....where do you find American made anything anymore...I can't and I look.

Plastics seems to be about one of the few things that is often US made.

Americans them selves are partly to blame as well, when buying into stock they should make sure they are not supporting companies that bring in out of country knock off’s

Its up to us to make the change the only way companies will listen and that is by what products one uses !

Politician made the big push years ago to move manufacturing overseas I’m sure the invested in that wisely.

Just changed out my 3rd or 4th yard light they don’t burn out the pivot point adjustment seams leak I planned on upgrading but she came home with a replacement one today. Communication is not her strong point!

I don’t think Menards even carries a US made yard light. She bought this one “same junk” at Ace she just paid twice as much for it.