Anti-counterfeit team set up by Scottish IP firm to tackle scourge of replica goods

10/08/2020
John Ferdinand, Marks & Clerk partner

A SPECIALIST anti-counterfeiting team has been created by IP firm Marks & Clerk in response to the growing counterfeit goods trade, which is costing the UK billions.

The firm, which has offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen, has decades of experience in this arena – and has now consolidated its expertise with one multi-sector team dedicated to this growing issue.

Partner John Ferdinand, who heads the team, says the move is in response to the increasing scope, magnitude and sophistication of the counterfeit goods trade.

Their focus will span customs and law enforcement, and online counterfeiting across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, ICT, fashion, cosmetics, automotive, media and entertainment, and toys.

The market in the UK accounted for £13.6bn in 2016, with ICT products alone accounting for £2.5bn according to the latest ‘Trade in Counterfeit Products and UK Economy’ report released by the OECD and IPO.

Mr Ferdinand said: “Trade in counterfeit goods is one of the most rapidly expanding economic crimes around the world and is having a devastating economic effect with an estimated 27million articles seized in the EU in 2018.

“It is costing as many as 60,000 jobs a year in the UK, and research shows more than half of the goods sold were bought by people who knew they were fakes.

“Predictably clothing, footwear, toys and games, and leather goods like handbags are amongst the most targeted but this murky trade spans a vast and diverse range of industries which means this is a challenge faced by a wide range of UK businesses.

“Across our network we have IP specialists with specific expertise in this area. Bringing them together to form a dedicated anti counterfeit team will mean our clients have access to some of the best specialists in the UK to advise not only on preventative measures, but also ways to enforce the law in conjunction with law enforcement agencies when intellectual property rights have been breached.”

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