Yet Again, Canon Warns of Counterfeit Batteries

From the Canon YouTube Channel:

Canon is continuing to make efforts to help protect our customers from potentially dangerous counterfeits. How can you tell if your Canon battery is genuine? Select Canon products communicate with their battery to identify if the battery is genuine Canon. Watch this video to learn more. For more information, please visit:
http://usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon/standard_display/aboutcounterfeits

Sean's Take: Canon has been on a crusade against counterfeit batteries and other accessories:

• Canon U.S.A. Raises Awareness About Counterfeit Accessories For Digital Cameras and Camcorders
• Spot the Fake Video
• Canon Warns of "Counterfeit Confidence Trap" in America

However, I think this latest video does a poor job of differentiating between third-party batteries and counterfeit batteries. It lumps both types of batteries into the same, scary "non-genuine battery" category.

Personally, I'd be much more concerned about using a conterfeit battery than a third-party battery. If a company is dishonest enough to slap a Canon logo on its battery, then there's a good chance the company doesn't care about the performance and safety of the product. And why would they? The dishonest comany's reputation is not at stake.

However, when a company puts their own name on a battery intended to be used in a Canon product, I'm more willing to believe that the company has taken sufficient precautions to ensure the battery will work as advertised and won't damage my camera. And if it does damage my camera, I know that Canon isn't responsible for the repair bill.

I understand that Canon wants to protect and educate its customers. There's nothing wrong with that. However, I think labeling third-party batteries and counterfeit batteries in the same way goes a bit too far, and I start questioning whether the movie's motive is really about public safety or the bottom line.

Share your thoughts in the comments.