I'd have to agree. There is no way a buyer could know that a model produced in the same factory as the original is stolen IP so a prosecution would never be brought. Before I read any of these forum posts on this topic I actually bought such a single(!) model from HK. It was completely original and could not be distinguished from a "legit" one. How was I to know that there was some illicit trade in models made after hours in the actual factory the real McCoys were made in? I genuinely had no clue about this practice back then. It's not the same as Chinese knock-offs of Louis Vuitton bags or whatever that clearly look like knock offs once you start examining the item more closely. Once these illicit models are in circulation and no longer with the original importer, there really is no way to tell them from apart from ones that came in as part of Paddy's legit order.
This all comes down to the lack of respect for IP that exists in China. It's always going to be a bit of a gamble having stuff produced there I guess. The smaller you are the less worried the factory is going to be about losing future orders presumably. I don't buy from HK or Mainland China based eBay sellers of models now as I know the score but most people not on this forum are probably genuinely unaware of the origin of these models on eBay.