Anyway it's kinda funny to see everybody go all over the place about rebadges... since most non-major brand products have been nothing else than that for decades now. The only difference is that with the internet it's now easy to find/prove that they are while before you'd have to dig and possibly physically go on site to find the source.
True, it is easier to find these days and also the prices are more easily determined as are comparisons. Before Chinese were selling directly online, it was almost impossible to know the per unit cost that a wholesaler/importer was getting. Now with a more direct link into the supply chain and OEM's, you can see better what is going on. As well, if you want a custom run (a "rebadge" with your own modified design or some slight modifications in features) you can hire one of these companies to make it for you.
For example, the Light Phone seems to be starting with the same AEKU phone (at least according to the PCB views) or some other OEM version, but they have clearly worked hard to change the design of the phone and display, and make an app to automate their "forwarding" concept. They are also working on a book, and they were giving people T-shirts. So I can see how they are trying to justify being "value-added" as compared to the AEKU... at a hefty markup no doubt, but it's their prerogative. Also, they seem to be part of some "incubator" program in China where creators live there for a year and work with a team to make things happen. It's almost like some kind of internship program. I'm looking forward to seeing what they finally ship for $99 and how much better it is than what is already available though. Backers I assume would have done their homework and made the decision to back this project because they believed the cost was worth it... either that or they had no idea you could buy a similar phone for $15 already, or they knew and felt the extra money for this was justified for the other features, book, T-shirt and "goodwill" they were doing on behalf of the Chinese factory workers that the project also said were being supported.