So Chinese manufacturers are using your brand’s name and reputation to sell counterfeit goods, now what? How can you stop or at the very least decrease the amount of Chinese counterfeiting taking over your brand? Implementing the procedures listed below will help businesses protect their brands in China and elsewhere.  

Trademarking in China  

An important step in protecting your brand in China is to register a trademark. Now, most brands already have a trademark for their company and its assets in their home country. However, trademarking a business’ name and assets in China isn‘t a bad idea. This will help businesses with enforcement of their trademark and ease the process of taking counterfeit ads and listings down.  

Another good idea is to have a Chinese name for your English trademark. Businesses looking to work in the Chinese market often aren’t aware that Chinese consumers prefer brands with names in their native tongue, which offers a unique opportunity for counterfeiters.  

Unsolicited sellers will change the name of the product by one letter or slightly change the look of its logo to pass through marketplaces unnoticed, all while keeping the attention of its audience. They will also use a brand’s images online, and since the brand doesn’t have an established Chinese name or presence, manufacturers can easily get away with stealing the product.

Protecting a brand in China can be simple. The quicker you begin the process of trademarking your brand in China, the quicker your brand will be protected against unsolicited internet sellers. To do this, it’s helpful to have someone fluent in the language or who understands the culture.  

Having an Ally in China

Having an ally or someone who knows the language can help keep your brand and assets protected. Local counsel on the team will help a brand stay strong within their trademark rights and keep them abreast of local requirements, especially those that differ from the U.S. And, when it comes time to defend your brands Trademark registration, they will be able to propose the best strategies and move forward with the business’ best interest in mind. Your ally in China will better understand the problem of Chinese counterfeiters and can point you in the right direction when it comes to fighting against the counterfeiters.  

The Problem with Chinese Internet Sellers:

All in all, China’s unsolicited internet sellers and their role in counterfeiting are a well-known issue. In an article from 2017, it was found that 78.5 percent of the total counterfeit market originated in China. China was also found responsible for nearly 60 percent of counterfeit medical products seized globally.  

With that being said, buying counterfeit products may seem like a great way to save money, but there is always a catch. Counterfeit goods often fall short of necessary codes and standards to keep consumers healthy and happy. So, when consumers buy a fake product, they are faced with possibly detrimental or even deadly repercussions.  

Counterfeiting not only negatively affect consumers, it also hurts businesses and a country’s overall economy.  

Unfortunately, the internet plays a huge role in Chinese manufacturers and internet sellers’ gaining access to products outside of their country. With a click of a button they can see a brand and its products and then copy the original with little to no consequences.  

However, by following the strategies mentioned above, business can stop Chinese counterfeiters from stealing their hard work.  

Brand protection in China can be a lengthy but necessary process. While you wait for your trademark, make sure you are Protecting your brand online in other ways as well.  

With CounterFind, your business’ online reputation will be monitored in real time. The turnkey software works on your behalf to track and report fraudulent ads on Facebook and Instagram and listings on ecommerce sites like Amazon and RedBubble.

With the filtering formula, CounterFind shows its users infringing ads or listings and makes it so that they can report it with one click. CounterFind also keeps them up to date on KPIs like the number of websites shutdown, blacklisted ads, top violating websites, number of Facebook ads reported, and pages monitored, as well as the estimated revenue saved. All this helpful information is captured with their real time, user-friendly ROI dashboard.

CounterFind makes protecting your brand efficient and straightforward. See just how many infringing ads or listings your brand has with this free Online Protection Scan here!  

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