Tips for Combating Counterfeit Sales Online

In the past, counterfeit goods were sold through layers of middlemen before reaching consumers. Now counterfeit sellers set up an online presence at auction or marketplace sites and ship counterfeit products directly to consumers, or use Internet and social media tools to generate web traffic and divert consumers to rogue e-commerce websites. Brand owners are challenged daily to combat anonymous online counterfeit sellers. The authors provide guidance on how to do so.

First and most important: A brand owner should register its trademarks and copyrights. This fundamental step in intellectual property protection provides a springboard from which enforcement measures originate. It is a particularly cost-effective approach when resources are scarce. Trademarks and copyright registrations can be recorded with U.S. Customs online to maximize protection at the border.

Brand owners should actively monitor online content that references their brand. Monitoring can be done on any budget, and it can range from self-monitoring to engaging an outside vendor to run and review searches.

By carefully screening vendors, brand owners reduce the risk of vendors selling and distributing their goods outside the distribution chain and personally profiting from those sales. At the same time, by way of screening brand owners may demand information about where a vendor has acquired its goods.

Brand owners should consider educating consumers about the effects of purchasing counterfeit products, and they should work with ISPs, social media sites, search engines, and law enforcement to combat counterfeit sellers.