WACOAL HOLDINGS CORP
Business division：Legal・Compliance Department
Person in charge：Intellectual Property Officer, Mr. Shoji Nomura
Person in charge：Intellectual Property Officer, Mr. Shoji Nomura
Taking a Proactive Approach to Supporting
Counterfeit Prevention
Wacoal Holdings Corporation, a leading brand in women's innerwear, recognized the challenge of strengthening its efforts in counterfeit prevention within its existing framework. Therefore, they decided to introduce IP FORWARD's online monitoring service. Since its implementation, various aspects of their operations have been streamlined, including improved communication with local subsidiaries, leading to increased efficiency overall.
The Sophistication and Maliciousness of Counterfeit Tactics are Advancing
Amidst the transition from offline to online platforms, we've observed a rise in counterfeit tactics and deceptive advertisements. Particularly prominent are counterfeit ads on social media. These ads, featuring our logo without authorization, appear within the ad spaces of social media or apps. When users tap on them, they're redirected to fake websites where unrelated products are sold.
Moreover, counterfeit goods on major e-commerce sites pose a serious issue. While they may resemble genuine products at first glance, there's a vast difference in quality. It's not uncommon for us to receive inquiries from customers who unknowingly purchased counterfeit items, reporting issues like garments tearing after only a few wears.
Counterfeiters are continually refining their methods through various channels, making it challenging to claim that we have taken "complete measures" against them. Additionally, with only myself as the sole person responsible for counterfeit prevention, there are limitations to what I can accomplish, which presents another challenge.
Moreover, counterfeit goods on major e-commerce sites pose a serious issue. While they may resemble genuine products at first glance, there's a vast difference in quality. It's not uncommon for us to receive inquiries from customers who unknowingly purchased counterfeit items, reporting issues like garments tearing after only a few wears.
Counterfeiters are continually refining their methods through various channels, making it challenging to claim that we have taken "complete measures" against them. Additionally, with only myself as the sole person responsible for counterfeit prevention, there are limitations to what I can accomplish, which presents another challenge.
The decisive factor is the ability to monitor worldwide
In 2007, the discovery of counterfeit paper labels in China marked the beginning of our comprehensive efforts against counterfeit products. Subsequently, the proliferation of counterfeit goods on major e-commerce platforms in China prompted us to commission monitoring from a separate investigation firm, in addition to IP FORWARD.
However, the issue of counterfeit products extended beyond China to countries like Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As a global brand holder, it became essential to monitor worldwide, and for this purpose, the cooperation of IP FORWARD, capable of investigating all EC sites worldwide, was indispensable. Furthermore, it was crucial that IP FORWARD could investigate the correlation between illicit listings found outside of China and their presence on Chinese EC sites if discovered.
However, the issue of counterfeit products extended beyond China to countries like Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As a global brand holder, it became essential to monitor worldwide, and for this purpose, the cooperation of IP FORWARD, capable of investigating all EC sites worldwide, was indispensable. Furthermore, it was crucial that IP FORWARD could investigate the correlation between illicit listings found outside of China and their presence on Chinese EC sites if discovered.
Understanding customer needs and proposing optimal solutions
I've been tackling counterfeit product measures solo, which proved challenging due to the diverse language and country-specific characteristics. With the support of IP FORWARD, however, communication with local subsidiaries became smoother, leading to enhanced efficiency in operations.
IP FORWARD doesn't just provide standardized reports; they tailor information to our specific needs, delving into details as required. For instance, when we requested a list of potentially counterfeit products, they excluded our local subsidiaries' product lists and provided only the items genuinely raising suspicions. Their combination of automated systems and human oversight enables swift responses to the constantly evolving landscape of counterfeit products, which is greatly appreciated.
Moreover, when encountering cases where solutions seemed elusive, they didn't just leave it at "this is challenging." Instead, they offered alternative investigative approaches, demonstrating their commitment to finding solutions beyond the obvious. Such proactive support is indispensable in enhancing the effectiveness of our counterfeit product measures.
IP FORWARD doesn't just provide standardized reports; they tailor information to our specific needs, delving into details as required. For instance, when we requested a list of potentially counterfeit products, they excluded our local subsidiaries' product lists and provided only the items genuinely raising suspicions. Their combination of automated systems and human oversight enables swift responses to the constantly evolving landscape of counterfeit products, which is greatly appreciated.
Moreover, when encountering cases where solutions seemed elusive, they didn't just leave it at "this is challenging." Instead, they offered alternative investigative approaches, demonstrating their commitment to finding solutions beyond the obvious. Such proactive support is indispensable in enhancing the effectiveness of our counterfeit product measures.
Providing support while maximizing expertise
Working together with IP FORWARD, which boasts high expertise including legal professionals such as attorneys, is highly beneficial. This is because filing deletion requests involves acts of representation and requires essential legal knowledge, which directly impacts our company's credibility.
I would like to walk together towards resolving the issues at hand
Counterfeiting has become more malicious and sophisticated, demanding a system that can respond swiftly to these challenges. Currently, I receive investigation reports from IP FORWARD, which I then edit and pass on to our local subsidiaries for further action. However, in the future, I aim to establish a system where our local subsidiaries can directly communicate with IP FORWARD without my intervention. This would streamline our operations, allowing me to allocate resources to upstream investigations and other tasks.
Furthermore, I expect IP FORWARD to play an even greater role as a "companion" in our efforts. Our intellectual property team has embraced the theme of "accompanying the business units," and this applies to our anti-counterfeiting efforts as well. By understanding and supporting our goals and actively proposing solutions as stakeholders, IP FORWARD can facilitate smoother progress in our anti-counterfeiting efforts. This is precisely what we expect from a "companion."
Furthermore, I expect IP FORWARD to play an even greater role as a "companion" in our efforts. Our intellectual property team has embraced the theme of "accompanying the business units," and this applies to our anti-counterfeiting efforts as well. By understanding and supporting our goals and actively proposing solutions as stakeholders, IP FORWARD can facilitate smoother progress in our anti-counterfeiting efforts. This is precisely what we expect from a "companion."
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