Fender makes a whole series of Strats at different price points. The challenge is even at the high end Fender has inconsistent QA, so the 'knockoffs' are sometimes way better quality/consistency. See this video for more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7RUpkXsV0
Can't compete on quality, so compete by attempting to use the courts to bludgeon your competitors. A tale as old as capitalism
I think I watched that video but sadly there is no sound comparison to demonstrate the quality issues.