Countering Counterfeit Trade

Product counterfeiting constitutes one of the most severe problems brand owners and legitimate manufacturers face. This book constitutes a unique combination of in-depth insights into the counterfeit market, best-practice strategies, novel management tools, and product protection technologies. Key benefits are the unbiased analysis of the counterfeit market, the strong focus on assisting practitioners to deal with the challenge, and the high standard of research that supports the presented findings. In the present book, we provide the insights that are required to effectively respond to counterfeit trade. Based on extensive research, we describe the characteristics of counterfeit supply and demand, introduce tools to support monitoring and market surveillance activities, and discuss best-practice strategies to safeguard affected companies and brands.

Counterfeit trade is a highly complex phenomenon. It is a ruthless crime as well as a smart knowledge-transfer strategy – and it is everything in between. Companies need a thorough understanding of the strategies of illicit actors, the role of the consumer, and the associated implications in order to develop successful brand- and product-protection measures. Providing this know-how is the key-objective of the book at hand. The authors present an unbiased, in-depth analysis of the supply- and demand-side of the illicit market, outline state-of-the-art brand- and product-protection strategies, and introduce a set of novel tools to support market monitoring, reaction, and prevention efforts. Furthermore, challenges with established product security technologies are highlighted and the benefits and hurdles when using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) as protection technology are discussed. A major benefit of the book is the strong focus on assisting practitioners to deal with the challenges; another is the high standard of research that backs up the findings presented.