"ON" LED is red

I heard that the ON LED is supposed to be green...
Also, it seems to already have the Blink sketch uploaded, but whenever I try to upload another sketch, it doesn't work, saying:
"avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding"
I have set the board and serial port correctly.
I use Mac OS X Mountain Lion, and I got the board off amazon from UkTechParts for £15.92
Is it a fake? It does have the "MADE IN ITALY" text and logo on the back, and all the text seems the same on my board and the official pictures.
The blue colour of the board does seem ever so slightly bluer, but it might just be me...
Please let me know if you need extra info/photos!

Thank you!

P.S. Oh and I do have a replacement chip if necessary; the chip that is already on the board is "ATMEGA328P-PU"

Macro206:
I heard that the ON LED is supposed to be green...

It is.

Also, it seems to already have the Blink sketch uploaded, but whenever I try to upload another sketch, it doesn't work, saying:
"avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding"
I have set the board and serial port correctly.

Probably has a different bootloader installed than the one you are expecting. Or no bootloader is installed.

...and I got the board off amazon from UkTechParts for £15.92

Were I in your shoes, I would send it back and use the fact that they violated the trademark as leverage to try to get a refund on shipping.

Is it a fake?

Highly likely.

Here are photos of the front and the back of the board. Is it really a fake?

The R in 'Platform' on the back looks wrong. Also the screen printing is not very good so there is a good chance that it is a fake. Compare it carefully with:-

Also their web site is down so they might have done a runner.

Given that the on LED is red as well I would say it was a fake.

The "R" just has a hole in it. On the front, the two silver-colour cylinders with a black part say 25V on them when they should be 16V...

You could try asking Massimo if they have ever produced them with a red on light.

The brown reset button is another give-away.

If you decide it's counterfeit...

Trademark Violations
If you would like to report a trademark violation please contact trademark (at) arduino.cc

One really doesn't need to go all technical on if a offered arduino board is counterfeit or not. The vast majority of the ones violating trademark sell for ridiculously less then the real deal. If it's selling for more then 20% less or more you can be pretty certain.

Lefty

All the telltale signs are there.

Compare to this one:
Imgur

My board from Sparkfun which I believe is official is virtually identical.

Mine also has a hole through the "R" in platform and a brown reset button. The LED is green though.
Also the USB fuse is silver instead of green.

I must be losing my eyesight. The button is brown.

smeezekitty:
Mine also has a hole through the "R" in platform and a brown reset button.

So does mine.

smeezekitty:
Also the USB fuse is silver instead of green.

Are you sure there isn't a slight gold tint to it?

I vaguely recall that a serial number is programmed into EEPROM. Bit later I'll dumped my Uno's EEPROM and report the results.

Are you sure there isn't a slight gold tint to it?

Maybe a bit.

Maybe in the USB serial converter chip as part of the USB identification/enumeration thing? Seems to me the older boards that used the FTDI chip seemed to know what com port number was assigned to each board I've ever attached to it, as each board would always attach as the same com port number and never were two boards ever assigned the same com port number, always seemed magic to me. But I'm pretty certain that the 328P's EEPROM is not used for anything other then by users.

LEfty

CB, back in this thread, CrossRoads said this:

EEPROM starts as 0xFF (255 DEC).

(Even if there was a serial number in there, since EEPROM is EE, that would only help if part of it could be made read-only. What we really need is a globally unique number like a MAC, kindof thing.)

retrolefty:
Maybe in the USB serial converter chip as part of the USB identification/enumeration thing?

Ah yes. It is possible to include a serial number in the USB header stuff. Thanks for the tip. I'll check that too.

JimboZA:
CB, back in this thread, CrossRoads said this:

EEPROM starts as 0xFF (255 DEC).

Indeed it does...

#include <EEPROM.h>

static char HexDigits[] = { '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' };

static void Serial_printhex( unsigned Value, int Digits )
{
  const unsigned Size = 2*sizeof(unsigned)+1; 
  char Buffer[Size];
  int8_t Tail;
  
  Tail = Size - 1;
  Buffer[Tail] = 0;
  
  while ( Value != 0 )
  {
    --Tail;
    Buffer[Tail] = HexDigits[ Value & 0xF ];
    --Digits;
    Value = Value >> 4;
  }
  
  while ( (Digits > 0) && (Tail > 0) )
  {
    --Tail;
    Buffer[Tail] = '0';
    --Digits;
  }
  
  Serial.print( &Buffer[Tail] );
}

void setup( void )
{
  Serial.begin( 115200 );
  
  unsigned Address;
  unsigned Bytes;
  uint8_t Value;
  
  Serial.println();

  Address = 0;
  
  while ( Address <= E2END )
  {
    Serial_printhex( Address, 4 );
    Serial.print( F( "  " ) );
    
    Bytes = 0;
    while ( (Address <= E2END) && (Bytes < 16) )
    {
      Value = EEPROM.read( Address );
      Serial_printhex( Value, 2 );
      Serial.write( ' ' );

      ++Bytes;
      ++Address;
    }
    Serial.println();
  }

  Serial.println();
}

void loop( void )
{
}
0000  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0010  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0020  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0030  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0040  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0050  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0060  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0070  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0080  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0090  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
00A0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
00B0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
00C0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
00D0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
00E0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
00F0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0100  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0110  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0120  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0130  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0140  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0150  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0160  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0170  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0180  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0190  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
01A0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
01B0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
01C0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
01D0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
01E0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
01F0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0200  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0210  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0220  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0230  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0240  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0250  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0260  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0270  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0280  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0290  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
02A0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
02B0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
02C0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
02D0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
02E0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
02F0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0300  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0310  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0320  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0330  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0340  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0350  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0360  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0370  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0380  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
0390  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
03A0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
03B0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
03C0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
03D0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
03E0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 
03F0  FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

(Even if there was a serial number in there, since EEPROM is EE, that would only help if part of it could be made read-only. What we really need is a globally unique number like a MAC, kindof thing.)

The theory is that the counterfeiter is too lazy or ignorant to program the EEPROM when they program the bootloader. Doesn't matter. There is no serial number.

Should I report this to Arduino? If so, how?