I agree that generic may be used to identify "knock-offs," but I more frequently see the term used, as others have mentioned, to apply to store-brands. And I wouldn't consider these knock-offs. In fact, I'm pretty sure after inspecting my store-brand pineapple and the Dole pineapple tins, that they come from the same factory. The boxes they were shipped in when I used to stock shelves on the graveyard were too similar, too.

I think of it as the Banana Republic, The Gap, Old Navy marketing scheme. The same manufacturers market products to three groups based on income (I'm Old Navy myself; couldn' afford the other two). Dole gets to corner the money-tight consumers while still getting the wealthier brand-conscious consumers.

Now, what was the word for that? Consumerism, greed, or just good marketing?