NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - You may not know the Brannock Device by name, but you’ve most likely used it.

What is it? It’s that metal gadget found in shoe stores that was created 90 years ago.

It even has a local connection, having been founded in Syracuse.

Well, its patent has expired, and over the past two decades it has become the target of cheap copycats around the world – including China!

Timothy Aeppel of the Wall Street Journal has written extensively about this story.

To read his writing, CLICK HERE.