Protecting Your Business Brand

Every business works hard to create a brand that instills confidence in the minds of its customers. However, counterfeiting can shatter it all in moments.

Counterfeiting of goods has become quite a serious concern today. It is so common that 1 in every 10 products sold is a spurious one. This underground trade has caught up on almost all products right from pricey technology goods to the humble toothbrush. Each year, counterfeiting results in a loss of millions of dollars. Once a product has been counterfeited, it can be difficult to remedy the problem. Hence, taking the right precautions to prevent it is important.

Steps to Prevent Counterfeiting

• Limit Outsourcing

Outsourcing has been looked upon as a very promising option in the past few decades. The cost benefits are one of the main reasons for it. However, officials investigating the counterfeiting issue have outlined this as one of the main causes promoting counterfeiting. When companies outsource production to less developed countries, they put their designs and plans into another’s hand often resulting in the production of inferior counterfeit goods. Companies should outsource production only if absolutely necessary.

• Assign a Dedicated Team

Protecting your goods from counterfeiting is a full-time job. In the midst of fulfilling core business activities, it is natural for your attention to get diverted from monitoring and protecting company assets. However, this temporary period can cost you a lifetime of effort. If you have a dedicated team to handle the task, you can rest assured and concentrate on other key tasks.

• Brand Protection Solutions

There are many companies that specialize in protecting business brands against counterfeiters. They use varied brand protection solutions such as unique security coding technologies. Their team of employees research and develop

The world of counterfeiting is expanding at an uncontrollable rate. Products are being recreated and copied and sold within a few days of the launch of the original product. The bigger problem is that these inferior quality goods are sold at a fraction of the original cost. There is no silver bullet to fix the problem. However, a few brand protection tools can provide some level of security to your business and your brand.

• Tour the Market

Many companies do not realize for long that their goods are being counterfeited unless it is brought to their notice by others. Counterfeit goods are identical, but with a few distinguishing features. Touring the market will not only help you find out if your goods have been counterfeited, but also give you a hint of the location from where these counterfeit goods are being sold. In addition to this, you should monitor the web regularly. You should check the search engine results for product brand name as well as your company name.

• Register Copyrights  

Registering copyrights for the product or its components is a relatively inexpensive brand protection strategy. Organizations such as IACC (International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition) and INTA (International Trademark Association) give brand owners as well as others a deeper insight into the Infringement Protection law. A better understanding of the law will make it easier to go about the process. If you still think you will be incapable of handling the issue independently, you should work with a lawyer with experience in your industry as well as having experience in copyright and trademark laws.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered agencies offering investigation services to the private and business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.