Countering Counterfeiters

How to protect your company, your brand, your products
Interviewed by Jerry Roche

No manufacturer is immune to having its products counterfeited. “Everything from medication to mundane products like extension cords is being counterfeited,” says Leora Herrmann, a partner at Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin P.L., whose blog (www.counterfeitlawblog.com) closely follows developments in counterfeiting law. “Nothing is exempt.”

The loss to U.S. businesses from counterfeiting is about $250 billion per year, according to the Department of Commerce. The international Chamber of Commerce estimates that the worldwide counterfeit market is worth $350 billion.

“In recent years, law enforcement has found more ties between counterfeiters and organized crime and terrorist organizations,” Herrmann says. “It appears that organized crime has realized that counterfeiting is less risky and more profitable than drug trafficking.” Smart Business asked Herrmann how a company can proactively discourage counterfeiting and what to do if its products are being counterfeited. To continue, please click this link.