Protecting Your Brand Against Counterfeiters

Most people don't give a second thought to buying a knock off or fake luxury handbag or clothing item. Did you know that counterfeit goods are the world's largest industry or that it's a multi-billion-dollar illegal industry that has created a substantial drain on the global economy? Counterfeiting has crowded out billions in legitimate economic activity and has facilitated an underground economy that deprives many governments of revenues, dislocates hundreds of thousands of legitimate jobs, and exposes consumers to dangerous and ineffective products. From an intellectual property perspective, counterfeit goods cost intellectual property rights holders millions of dollars, not only in lost revenue, but also in enforcement costs and lost reputation damages.  

This program, taught by Stacey C. Kalamaras, Founding Partner of Kalamaras Law Office, LLC in Chicago, Illinois, and Timothy Trainer, President of Global Intellectual Property Strategy Center, P.C. in Washington, DC, will examine the ugly truth about the underbelly of counterfeit goods. Attorneys will learn best practices for how large brand owners are protecting their brands from counterfeiters and the creative strategies some use to fight back against counterfeiters when enforcing their brands globally, including a special discussion of online marketplace reporting for platforms such as eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba. We will examine recent counterfeit seizures from around the world and, lastly, how technology, specifically blockchain, plays a role in the future of anti-counterfeiting efforts.

Learning Objectives:

1. Grasp the impact of counterfeit goods around the world and specifically in the U.S. to develop IP filing strategies to enforce brands around the world
2. Devise effective strategies to advise multinational clients on how to implement anti-counterfeiting enforcement programs that incorporate in-house resources, outside counsel, and government resources and agencies
3. Determine when to bring legal action and how to measure the success of anti-counterfeiting activities
4. Examine where future technological advances may be able to assist in the enforcement actions against counterfeit goods