Intellectual Property Investigations, Brand Protection, Counterfeit Goods

The counterfeiting of branded products is a serious and potentially dangerous criminal activity. It is a worldwide problem and violates safety issues and can seriously damage profits, reputations and relations.

How many times have you been to a market stall, car boot sale or have seen 'shady' characters offering 'dodgy goods for sale' - usually CD's, designer clothing or footwear- in fact more or less anything you could think of.

The fact is that any article can be copied. Counterfeit clothing, counterfeit watches, counterfeit electronic goods, and counterfeit computer parts - even specialist products such as aircraft parts can be copied!! The word 'SNIDE' is a well used slang phrase when describing counterfeited goods.

Counterfeit pharmaceutical products, such as medicines and pills are being manufactured all over the world and sold on as the genuine article, but sometimes leading to cases of illness and even death due to the poor standards and ingredients used in the manufacturing process.

Anything can be copied or counterfeited, usually by using low grade materials. Such inferior products can create major safety concerns, apart from the reputational damage it causes to the brand owner.

In brand protection, our specialist investigators, most of whom are from police detective backgrounds, work with the client, alongside Trading Standards Officers and the Police where necessary. Covert surveillance and general observations, coupled with background checks provide the necessary intelligence and evidence to support a prosecution wherever possible. We have successfully assisted some major brands in retaking the high ground and removing many offenders from continuing their criminal operations.