Page Hargrave - Patent and Trademark Attorneys

Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Piracy

Counterfeiting and product piracy can cause significant damage to the reputation and commercial interests of rights-holders generally, and may also pose an additional risk to consumers and end users when sub-standard or defective products are passed off as genuine. Counterfeiting and piracy may involve unauthorized use of trade marks, direct copying of copyright works – particularly recordings and films, copying of product designs and unlicensed use of patented inventions.

Page Hargrave can assist you in taking proactive and reactive steps to protect your intellectual property rights from counterfeiters and pirates. In the UK and European Union countries, we can apply directly to the national Customs authorities to have them watch for imports of goods which may infringe your intellectual property rights, particularly registered trade marks and copyright works. If unauthorized goods are identified, these can be seized and destroyed. We have extensive experience of working with Customs to seize goods infringing major sports brands, for example.

In the UK, we also regularly work with Trading Standards authorities throughout the country to assist them in identifying counterfeit goods on sale and to enable them to have the infringing goods seized and the sellers prosecuted.