INSIGHTS -

The Value of Systematic Test Purchasing at Scale

Brands and content owners know too well the process of conducting test purchases to verify and enforce against suspected counterfeit goods. In the modern digital economy, this usually means buying an item based on some combination of risk factors from an anonymous merchant on an online marketplace, verifying the good’s inauthenticity, and pursuing subsequent enforcement.

Visibility of Infringing Content on the Internet

we saw how visibility is crucial to the operation of certain infringing eBook sites. Online ads, search results, backlinks and page rank all play a role in driving traffic. While limiting visibility to illegal sites by effective enforcement is not a total solution, it is a necessary component to any online protection program.

Six Reasons to Register Your Copyrighted Content

While copyright protection is established upon a work’s creation, registration of the work with the U.S. Copyright Office adds significant value for rights owners. Most advantages to registration stem from enhanced protection and recourse should the copyright be infringed, but there are also compelling business reasons in support of registration.

Product Authentication Tools: Are They Right for Your Brand?

As brand owners evaluate options for combating counterfeit goods, one area in which they may address the problem is through product authentication tools. There are many solutions in this arena, ranging from simple holographic tags to highly technical integrated ERP solutions that serve both an anti-counterfeiting function and provide increased visibility through the supply chain.

Anti-Counterfeiting Actions to be Taken by U.S. Government

This post overviews the immediate government actions and recommendations proposed by DHS. A discussion of DHS’s proposed private sector best practices will follow in a subsequent post.

Illegal eCommerce Websites

Unlike typical copyright infringing websites that provide content for free and are supported by advertising revenue, infringing eCommerce sites are supported by the sale of infringing goods. When those infringing goods are digital – such as eBooks – the cost of acquisition is far less than for traditional hard goods counterfeits. The operator only needs to acquire a single copy of the infringing content from which free copies are made to fulfill subsequent sales.

Online Marketplace Enforcement

Faced with a surge of counterfeits flooding online marketplaces, a group of the world’s leading educational publishers relied on BCGuardian to develop a custom solution to remove the counterfeits from circulation and provide the evidentiary basis, not just for litigation and enforcement, but for outreach to channel partners, distributors, and online marketplaces.

Insight

Internet Intermediaries as an Effective Enforcement Tactic

A common enforcement tactic regarding websites offering copyright or trademark infringing content involves preparing a formal Cease and Desist notice to the site explaining that they are infringing and detailing the specific instances of infringement found on the site. This tactic can and does work in many cases. But what happens when that notice goes unanswered and the site continues to infringe? This is particularly true of sites operated by individuals in jurisdictions that may not respect the laws of the country in which the content owner operates and from which the notice is sent. It seems that litigation may…

We empower our clients to reclaim lost sales and achieve systemic change by addressing the root sources and enablers of infringement.