The Goojje Logo: A shameless immitation? (Source: goojje.com)
YouTubecn looks awfully similar to its legitimate counterpart. (Source: YouTubecn.com)
Imitation websites emerge in the wake of tensions between Google and China
China, a country famous for its imitation products has done it again. Following the recent threats of Google to pull out of China, two remarkable knock-offs have emerged: Goojje and YouTubecn.
Xiao Xuan, one of the founders claims that Goojje has existed prior to the China/Google tensions, and points out that a significant amount of time would be required to build a website of Google’s caliber. Additionally, he explains that the name, Goojje, is actually a play on words. The second syllable of "Google" sounds like "older brother" in Mandarin, while the second syllable in "Goojje" sounds like "older sister."
Xiao also points out that Goojje is not so much a search engine as it is a "friend finder," and unlike copy-cat site YouTubecn, Goojje does not violate any censorship codes.
Many Chinese citizens are receptive to YouTubecn, a website which shows videos blocked on YouTube such as those portraying social unrest in China. In a conversation with The Christian Science Monitor, founder Li Senhe had this to say, "I did this as a public service."
With China’s National Copyright Administration’s (NCAC) focus shifting toward illegally run websites, many citizens are left wondering how long Goojje and YouTubecn will last. In the NCAC’s code of ethics issued this month, no mention of either website was made, and both websites are still working as of today. When asked about future imitation sites, Xiao suggested Facebook, which is also banned in China, would most likely be next.
Overall, many misspellings of Google.com and YouTube.com are taken up by search bar pages, but few are brazen enough to lift the actual look from the real sites.
"Folks that want porn can buy an Android phone." -- Steve Jobs
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