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Supporting Strategic Brand Protection
Counterfeiters rarely act alone. International Risk believes effective intellectual property protection programmes begins by targeting syndicated rather than stand-alone targets. By focusing on and disrupting key points along counterfeit supply chains, the goal of International Risk is to achieve measurable reductions of the burgeoning global trade in counterfeit and infringing goods.
Raid and seizure enforcement actions, often measured chiefly by seizure quantities, may treat salient symptoms of counterfeiting by removing individuals and some counterfeit goods from the market, but such narrow focus is rarely able to achieve long-term sustainable reduction of counterfeiting problems. Raids fail to address the illness itself: the increasingly organised and global nature of counterfeiting, which stand-alone raids fail to adequately address.
The Counterfeit Supply Chain
One of the weakest points of counterfeiters is the need to package counterfeit products to simulate the genuine article. Printers and packaging producers therefore, provide a point of attack which can allow investigators to identify and penetrate the key players. By targeting illegal printing and packaging production through sample collection, forensic analysis and data collation, International Risk is able not only to prevent entry of counterfeit packaged products to markets, but more significantly, expert analysis can lead us to kingpins of syndicates driving major counterfeit production and distribution.
Distributors and shipping entities are other weak points in the counterfeit supply chain and provide links to entire networks of counterfeit manufacturers. Through investigative and data forensics work focused on connections between distributors, their suppliers and customers, International Risk can achieve serious disruption of counterfeit products in markets worldwide; an action also beneficial to the legitimate local market.
Our Approach
International Risk investigators, analysts and forensic experts comprise of a large team with extensive experience fighting counterfeiters in Asia and across the world. Using forensic examination technology, we work closely with brand owners, law firms, in-house counsels and other stakeholders to provide tailored, individual problem-focused strategies to trace, expose and reduce the effectiveness of counterfeit syndicates.
Our counterfeit investigation programmes utilise:
- Proprietary databases that catalogue and match counterfeit sample products from diverse points within the market place
- Highly experienced investigative personnel across Asia and worldwide
- Forensic printing examination capabilities
- Internet-based investigations and analysis to surface and confront cyber-trade
- Advanced data forensic and electronic evidence recovery
- Extensive experience working effectively with law enforcement
- In-house IP focused legal resources for criminal and civil follow-up action in the PRC
International Risk can build and maintain a database of potential targets for each brand owner, to be supported by a library of printing and packaging samples to facilitate the forensic examination and comparison of counterfeit packaging, security labelling, laser etching and fake holograms. Our examinations allows identification of links with other counterfeit packaging and known counterfeit sources through a propriety continuously-updated database that enables tracing of manufacturing, distribution and shipping activity. Clients may utilise these results to improve and upgrade security devices and protocols in the genuine packaging of their products.
On-the-ground investigators complement International Risk’s database intelligence gathering capabilities to examine the operations of distributors and to seek established links with counterfeit manufacturing networks. Where appropriate and in conjunction with law enforcement officials, our data forensic specialists can then assist in the location, protection, retrieval and analysis of potential evidence residing in computer systems, both conventional and/or those built into specific printing/packaging manufacturing equipment. Beyond raids and seizures, we can also assist clients in seeking criminal and civil sanctions to increase deterrent pain to the counterfeiters.
Results
Through our advanced investigative and data analysis techniques, International Risk can develop and provide a fuller picture of syndicates behind brand owners?counterfeiting problems, by connection of tell-tale similarities through discerning links between different counterfeit packaging, counterfeit products and identified counterfeit operations. Such evidence is a potent weapon for successfully dismantling counterfeit product syndicates in a more focused, long-term, higher impact enforcement and legal follow-up to substantially reduce counterfeit products in legitimate markets.
Related Services
In our experience, theft of intellectual property and strategic brand protection consulting is frequently intertwined with other problems, which may involve employee malfeasance and white-collar crime. To help address these concerns, International Risk also provides the following related services:
- Brand Protection Consulting Services
- Royalty Audits and Independent Evaluation of Licensee Performance
- Gray Market and Inquiries into Parallel Trading
- Fraud Investigations
- Asset Tracing Investigations
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