Counterfeits are imitations of products made and sold under the brand’s names of products without the company’s permission, intending to deceive or defraud. Counterfeit goods span a wide range of industries, from apparel to pharmaceuticals, auto parts and electronics. Notably, the most affected items include drugs — computers, shoes, personal care products, clothes, jewelry, handbags and wallets.
There has been an explosion in what some people refer to super-fakes” high-end luxury goods which look precisely like the genuine ones with Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, opining that counterfeits are made in the same factories, with the same raw materials as authentic goods. The implication is that more consumers are deceived into buying fake products and more sales taken away from legitimate businesses. The impact of counterfeit goods on consumers and businesses at large cannot be
overemphasized, and this brings us to the questions of what must companies do to protect their brands, safeguard the lives of their customers and protect their bottom-line?
WAYS TO STOP BRAND INFRINGEMENT
1. Develop a Trade Strategy
It is your responsibility to monitor trademark registrations, including domain names that might conflict with your registered marks. It’s also wise to secure domain names using variations of your brand name with all of the most common extensions. In other words, you need a domain name strategy because failure to make an effort to protect your trademark against infringing domain names might create a platform to deceive your customers. Again, you could lose your mark if you don’t defend it. A few years back, counterfeiters tried to replicate the Coartem brand, but all efforts proved futile as Coartem had a mark that could be distinguished from the fake.
2. Create Brand Guidelines
Protecting your brand trademark requires creating brand identity guidelines that explain precisely how the tangible elements of your brand (such as your brand name and logo) should be used. It’s imperative that you educate your employees, business partners, and all your business associates and stakeholders about how they can use your trademarks and other brand elements, so they don’t your brand positioning and visibility are not compromised.
3. Deploy relevant technology and other solutions
Fighting counterfeiting isn’t an easy task especially when it’s a big brand and as such, brand owners are meant to fight counterfeits strategically by not letting counterfeiters know what method they use to protect their products. Most companies with notable brands take on the market with videos and press conferences notifying the public on the challenges they are facing to garner public sympathy and hopefully deter the culprits. In another view, it’s a wrong move that can quickly decimate whatever is left of the brand equity of the product. With Sproxil Solutions (Defender, Champion & Ally) brands stand a better chance at protecting their products by deploying solutions which not only combat counterfeiting but provide detailed, intelligent reports on when and where the products where purchased. This is critical for enforcement and supply chain optimization. Customers can be empowered to verify the authenticity of their purchase at the point of sale and thereby grow trust in their brands of choice. The credibility of your products and brands are maintained.
4. Brand Consistency
Always make sure your brand is consistent across products packaging, name and other vital features. With consistency, it will be easy for your customers to spot the difference as counterfeiters try to copy products and sometimes make slight errors. Though with improvements in technology, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate genuine ones from counterfeits by just looking at the packs.
5. Partner with Trade Associations & Regulatory Agencies
By partnering with trade associations related to your brand, your brand can be protected. Some trade associations have developed mechanisms to conduct periodic checks on products of their members. Also, working closely with regulatory agencies like NAFDAC and SON who are empowered by law to apprehend and prosecute counterfeiters will go a long way in protecting your products through their market raids and clean up.
