Global sales of counterfeits are growing at a furious 15 percent each year and have reached over US $1.82 trillion in 2020. The rise of digital channels facilitating the sale and purchase of consumer goods has indeed fueled a rapid increase in the trade of counterfeit products around the world. No retail products seem to be spared: from cosmetics to electronics, clothing and accessories, automotive parts, and even pandemic-related medical supplies.

While we usually discuss the issue of counterfeiting in the context of large international groups in the luxury sector, with extensive brand portfolios, but in practice, smaller brands may also be the targets and victims of this crime—with very high costs, too, for their business in the short and long run.

What are the risks—for the revenue, the business, and the brand—associated with counterfeiting as it relates to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? What can realistically be done to prevent fakes and remove them after they appear on the market? What about e-commerce platforms: is counterfeiting a necessary evil?

Our guest is an expert in brand protection and practical anti-counterfeiting strategies especially as they apply to SMEs. Philippe Van Eekhout, a lawyer, is the CEO of ContrAtak, where he develops and implements impactful strategies to overcome counterfeiting- related issues, with a focus on serving SMEs. Prior to founding ContrAtak 15 years ago, he worked for LVMH Fashion Group as its Asia-Pacific anti-counterfeiting coordinator, and for the French company BIC as IP manager.

Related Resources

About Philippe van Eeckhout

Also of Interest

Forbes: The Counterfeit Problem and How Retailers Can Fight Back

Method: 3 Ways Small Businesses Can Combat Counterfeiters

INTA’s 2021 Annual Meeting Virtual+: Enforcement and Anticounterfeiting track (November 17, 2021)

INTA: Addressing the Sale of Counterfeits on the Internet

INTA Fact Sheet on Counterfeiting 

INTA: Gen Z Insights: Brands and Counterfeit Products

INTA Board Adopts Resolutions to Strengthen Anticounterfeiting Enforcement

Strategic Sponsor—Enforcement and Anticounterfeiting, WANHUIDA Intellectual Property