As part of our Anti-Counterfeiting practice, we provide luxury brand protection services.

Luxury Goods Brand Protection and Enforcement

Well-known brands of luxury goods are the primary target of counterfeiters. To minimize losses of sales and prevent tarnishment of brand quality, companies should keep vigilant protection and enforcement programs. Luxury brand protection solutions include, for example:

  • Creation of Cost Beneficial as well as Efficient Protection Programs

  • Counterfeit Monitoring of Online and Offline (Brick & Mortar) Sales

  • Trademark, Service Mark Registration

  • Defensive Domain Name Registration

  • Defensive Social Media Handle Registration

  • Education Programs for Identification of Counterfeit Luxury Goods

  • Special Manufacturer Agreements

  • Employee Agreements and Reseller Agreements

  • Creation of Enforcement Programs to Minimize Need for Reactive Measures

What Are the Most Important Aspects to Luxury Brand Protection?

Programs for protecting luxury goods brands should balance costs and benefits, provide efficiency, and be effective against offenders. Luxury brand owners lose billions of dollars in revenue each year due to sales of imitation goods. Therefore, benefits toward anti-counterfeiting efforts likely greatly outweigh expense of a well-designed anti-counterfeiting program. In addition, luxury brand protection solutions should include different types of efforts, including proactive, defensive, and offensive measures. See our luxury brand solutions page for more regarding this industry group.

Anti-Counterfeiting Protection and Enforcement Programs

We work with clients to develop effective luxury brand protection solutions, including anti-counterfeiting counter measures and strategies. Then, we implement and execute enforcement programs in line with clients’ primary objectives. As part of our anti-counterfeiting programs for luxury brand protection, we:

  • Help Conduct Investigations (online as well as in-person investigative services)

  • Monitor for Counterfeiting

  • Send Demand Letters and Negotiate Settlement Agreements

  • File Lawsuits to Stop Infringement and Recover Damages

  • Register Trademarks and Brands Worldwide

  • Record IP Rights with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

Importance of Luxury Brand Protection Efforts

Brand owners invest significant money and effort to create unique, high quality products. Therefore, protection from counterfeiting offenders is essential to maintaining business goodwill and the reputation of goods as high-end luxury product. Misappropriation of luxury goods brands can take on different forms, such as:

  • Counterfeiting – Manufacture and sale of fake goods or knockoffs

  • Gray Market Goods – Sale of goods made specifically for sale in one market to another market

  • Piracy – Illegal reproduction of copyright works

This misappropriation of IP rights can cause considerable economic loss of profits and market share by the rightful owner.  It can also cause harm by tarnishing the brand image, as counterfeit, gray market, and pirated goods are often of inferior quality. These issues have become a growing challenge for luxury goods brand owners in the global economy and with the ease of Internet sales. Additionally, the reproduction of trademarked goods and genuine looking product inserts has become easier with technology available for duplication. Therefore, an enforcement program for proactive luxury brand protection is an important consideration for growing businesses.

Luxury Brand Enforcement

Read more about our litigation services at our intellectual property litigation overview page and our business litigation overview page, including Trademark Infringement, Domain Name Litigation, UDRP Domain Name Proceedings, Patent Infringement, False Advertising Litigation, Trade Dress Litigation, and Copyright Infringement.

Additional Insights Regarding Luxury Brand Protection

For more information on luxury brand protection legal issues, see our Legal Insights and Industry Solutions pages.