Combatting Counterfeiting in International Markets

The SME is an international company with distributors in more than 60 countries. They sell mouth freshening products. Being conscious of the importance of IP management, the SME has trademark protection in the EU, the USA, Canada, China, and several Middle Eastern countries. In recent years, they have found counterfeit products in several Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and the UAE. The counterfeits bear a very similar brand name, and the products are the same kind of products, therefore potentially misleading the consumers. Through an investigation in the Middle East, the SME found out that majority of the counterfeits have actually been produced in China.