According to statistics, the total amount of counterfeit goods sold in the global e-commerce market each year is about 1.7 trillion or 4.5 trillion US dollars, and the value of the counterfeit market is comparable to the GDP of the world’s tenth largest economy. So how can cross-border brand sellers prevent counterfeit infringement?
1. Domain name protection strategy
First of all, the .com primary domain name is essential. The primary domain name is generally consistent with the seller’s name or related to the brand. The .com domain name is the most important network symbol for sellers on the Internet.
When registering the primary domain name, you should also consider registering similar domain names at the same time to avoid using fake domain names to forge websites for illegal activities. In addition to applying the primary domain name, brand sellers should also consider fully registering their products or sub-brands to prevent preemptive registration or even malicious counterfeiting.
For brand sellers, the name of the seller’s CEO is as important as the seller’s name. Registering the leader’s name first is also a means of domain name protection to prevent malicious use of the brand.
At the same time, hostile words should not be ignored. At present, it is more popular and comprehensive for multinational sellers to register domain names with insulting and hostile words in advance. International giants such as Microsoft have taken such protection measures to effectively prevent competitors or other malicious use.
Finally, registering relevant prefecture-level domain names is also a common domain name protection method used by multinational sellers in recent years, because prefecture-level domain names can enhance the targeting of CN domain names in online marketing and publicity.
2. Maintain brand consistency
Always ensure that the seller’s brand is consistent in important features such as product packaging and name. Through consistency, users can easily find the difference between fakes and genuine products. When counterfeiters try to copy products, they sometimes make minor mistakes. Although it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between true and false just by looking at the packaging as technology advances, it is very useful to maintain consistency in details.
3. Customs filing
It is also a very effective strategy to file the seller’s own trademark rights, copyright and other intellectual property rights with the General Administration of Customs.
Local customs such as Ningbo Customs will provide personalized policy guidance for sellers with high-quality brands and encourage sellers to apply for intellectual property filing with the General Administration of Customs.
After the seller files its trademark rights, copyright and other intellectual property rights with the General Administration of Customs, the local customs can initiate active power protection procedures at the import and export links. Once infringing goods are seized, they will be immediately detained in accordance with the law. For intellectual property owners, their rights can be remedied at the first opportunity.