PRODUCT PIRACY

Once upon a time the pirates were the seafarers who seized ships on the high seas. It was not only a hard thing, but often also life and death. Before their attack, the pirates did not know how much loot were there and whether any would fall into their hands. This form of piracy is no longer needed today. If you want to “loot”, you don’t need a seaworthy ship or a crew. The laptops, the Internet and the scruples are all it takes to get brands, designs and patents from your kitchen table, so to speak. More and more “crooks” are adopting this path. It has never been so easy to have illegal counterfeit goods from China conveniently sent to you by post over the Internet. Due to the gigantic volume, the German customs are hopelessly overwhelmed and the brand owners watch this hustle and bustle.

This doesn’t have to be!

Anyone wishing to take action against product pirates must have an industrial property right, such as for example; patent, utility model or design or trademark. The effective protection against counterfeit products that even take on the labeling of the original manufacturer can only be achieved by a registered trademark.

It is therefore very important to acquire suitable commercial rights to protect your own products in good time. In the best case, of course, before a product (brand, service, product, idea, etc.) is presented or launched on the market. With regard to inventions and designs, obtaining a property right is legally excluded if the invention or design has already become known to the public at the time of registration.

Due to the ever increasing threat situation, it is more important than ever for brand owners to protect themselves and their customers from product piracy. Even if consumers have become more security-conscious and careful when shopping online, fraudsters are becoming increasingly tricky and professional. Tackling these criminals online is difficult, but not impossible with a view to your own company. To do this, they need a comprehensive brand protection strategy that uses new technologies such as B. Includes Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics. This enables companies to live up to their responsibility towards customers and prevent damage on both sides.