Mike, you may have a point. (no pun intended). Since the pen is now mine, I can reveal that the company logo was Target, and it would not surprise me to learn that there probably several thousand of these made. OTOH, I can't imagine not checking the ink level if you have a clear pen that permits this useful function. I think of it as a gauge analogous to an spg, something to be checked frequently to determine the rate of use and the expected duration of the effective supply. If someone loses their pen and is so irresponsible as to be unable to describe the ink level, they don't deserve to have this marvelous technological innovation of the post-WW2 era.
In that connection, some forged documents are easily detected. I've seen all sorts of fake letters and documents, some supposedly dating from the 19th century, written or signed with a ball point pen. These historical inconsistencies develop as time passes. Eventually there will be films and books (ebooks) set in the 1970s and 1980s depicting people using cell phones.
"Grandma, why is your phone attached to the wall with a string?"