With the increasing online sales and advancing technology, counterfeiting of goods has surged globally. Historically, luxury goods used to be the target of counterfeiters, but now fake products infiltrate nearly every market. A 2020 report by the US Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, stated that approximately $1.7 trillion to $4.5 trillion worth of fake products are sold globally annually.
These counterfeits not only damage the reputation of trusted brands but also present serious risks to consumers, who often unknowingly purchase inferior or even harmful knock-offs. This growing issue has prompted leading brands to take direct action by organizing anti-counterfeiting raids and implementing advanced brand protection measures.
Many leading enterprises facing brand IP abuse have come forward and organized anti-counterfeiting raids in India as an essential step to combat counterfeiting and reclaim their market integrity directly. In this article, you can go through some of the top anti-counterfeiting raids led by major brands in India in 2023-2024 to fight against brand piracy.
Importance of Anti-Counterfeiting Raids for Brand Protection
You might be wondering if leading anti-counterfeiting raids is a huge step. Whether or not any brand should take? If your company is losing millions or trillions due to fake products and IP infringements and you are losing the trust and loyalty of your valuable customers, planning anti-counterfeiting raids is worth it. Here’s how these raids can help protect your brand:
1. Protecting Brand Reputation
Brands invest significantly in their image and product quality for years to gain customer trust and unbreakable reputation. But, it only takes a few days for counterfeit goods to degrade their value, resulting in a loss of consumer confidence. By raiding the counterfeiters, brands can successfully enforce legal measures against them and discourage their future attempts.
In addition, brands can opt for other product authenticity measures to secure their reputation. For instance, by investing in Acviss Certify, you can equip your products with digital certificates to provide consumers with personalized proof of product authenticity, helping empower their trust and boost your brand’s reputation.
2. Improving Online Brand Protection
Now that we are living in the realm of e-commerce, counterfeiters are increasingly relying on digital platforms to distribute their imitated products. Anti-counterfeiting raids can help address both physical markets and digital channels, facilitating online brand protection and preventing counterfeit products from infiltrating e-commerce spaces.
3. Enhancing Consumer Safety
Counterfeit goods are often produced in unsupervised, unregulated environments, causing safety concerns for unaware consumers. Duplicate or adulterated cosmetics or pharmaceuticals could contain toxic ingredients that pose health risks.
Talking about statistics, the WHO reported that around 1 million people die each year due to fake medications. By raiding these counterfeited goods, harmful products can be removed from circulation, and thus, health risks to consumers can be reduced significantly.
Top 2023-24 Anti-Counterfeiting Raids Led by Renowned Brands
Anti-counterfeiting raids are not just a theoretical brand protection measure or aren’t just organized by government authorities. You will be amazed to know that several high-profile brands have stepped forward to deal with counterfeiting through extensive anti-counterfeiting raids in collaboration with government authorities. The below discussed are some notable cases from 2023-2024:
1. Kaplan’s Efforts in Securing Educational Integrity
Kaplan, a US-headquartered educational services company, provides financial, accountancy, data, and technology-related education through its successful Kaplan Schweser books. However, the company faced a surge in counterfeit books and unauthorized online courses that eroded its reputation and affected students relying on quality education materials.
Kaplan filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against the parties distributing fake versions of Kaplan Schweser books and study materials. On 13 September 2024, the Delhi court issued an interim order prohibiting the unauthorized sale and misuse of Kaplan’s trademark and copyrighted materials.
In addition, local commissioners were appointed who carried out raids at the defendant’s seven premises and confiscated thousands of counterfeit ‘Kaplan Schweser textbooks and study guides, including digital and other electronic study materials.
This decisive action by Kalpana clearly indicated that the brand is prepared to enhance its supply chain traceability and vigorously defend its intellectual property against unlawful use.
2. SKF Seized Counterfeit Products in Chennai
SKF India, a subsidiary of the Swedish multinational automotive and engineering company SKF, has long been a leader in high-quality industrial products like bearings, lubrication, units, and seals.
On 24 October 2024, SKF India’s Group Brand Protection (GBP) team coordinated a large-scale anti-counterfeiting raid at four locations in Chennai in collaboration with the Chennai police. The raids resulted in the confiscation of around 3,500 counterfeit SKF bearings worth over 50 lakh INR, including CARBs, SABBs, TRBs, DGBBs, and SRBs. Also, over 500 packaging materials with the SKF trademark were seized. The company also filed an FIR against all four counterfeiters.
According to the Head of India Brand Protection at SKF India, Mr. KG Sathyanarayan, fake products pose serious risks to the integrity of our brand and our customers. The company has zero tolerance for counterfeits and takes all possible measures to protect customers against substandard products, either by facilitating product verification or organizing anti-counterfeiting raids.
3. Versace Confiscated Counterfeit Products in New Delhi
Versace filed a complaint at the Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) set up by the Delhi Police to protect its IP rights, which was then converted into an FIR. Acting on the brand’s complaint, the court issued search and seizure warrants, which led to a raid on four retail shops in New Delhi. In the raid, counterfeit goods worth several crores were confiscated. Although retail shop owners escaped the scene, an investigation is ongoing to find out the source of fake items.
4. NBC Bearings’ Crackdown on Counterfeiters in Delhi
NBC Bearings, a leading manufacturer under National Engineering Industries Ltd. (NEI), recently intensified its anti-counterfeiting efforts by successfully dismantling counterfeit bearing manufacturing units in Delhi. In June 2024, two raids were conducted in Kanhiya Nagar and GB Road with the help of local authorities, which resulted in the seizure of counterfeit bearings and manufacturing equipment valued at over ₹1.25 crore.
This action by NBC Bearings underscored the company’s strategy to move beyond targeting sellers of counterfeit products and instead focus on dismantling the manufacturing networks at their source.
Take Control Over Counterfeiting with Acviss Certify
Anti-counterfeiting has now become a universal challenge, requiring brands to take stringent measures such as anti-counterfeiting raids as proactive solutions. Leading brands like Kaplan, SKF India, Versace, and NBC Bearings have led impactful anti-counterfeiting raids, each aiming to maintain product authenticity and protect their customers, IP, and reputation.
As counterfeiting evolves, tools like Acviss Certify can empower brands to take control of their sustainable supply chain, protect intellectual property, and enable consumers to verify product authentication.
Planning to take your anti-counterfeiting strategy one step ahead? Get in touch with us today! Explore Certify as one of the robust acviss anti-counterfeiting solutions to safeguard your brand, protect your customers, and enhance product verification today!
