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French IP Attorney Details Her Pursuit of Counterfeit Manufacturers in China (+AUDIO)

French IP Attorney Details Her Pursuit of Counterfeit Manufacturers in China – AUDIO – IPPIBlog.com

On December 23, 2016, IP Fridays.com published their podcast interview with French IP attorney Isabelle Bissey Pierre about enforcing IP rights in China. The interview runs about 25 minutes and provides genuine insights into the step-by-step process her law firm practices in an effort to hold trademark counterfeit manufacturers accountable.

The process is essentially broken down into three (3) phases:

Phase I:  Locate and Identify Their Clients Counterfeited Products

Phase II:  Acquire Counterfeit Samples and Documentation

Phase III:  Pursue Legal Action

Here is a synopsis of the steps in each phase

Phase I:

  • Attend Guangzhou Fair (Canton Province) twice each year in April
  • The fair provides a huge forum for manufacturers to sell small domestic appliances
  • Buyers from around the globe shop at this fair for export to their respective countries
  • Investigators search the vast fair for counterfeits of their clients’ products in “Plain View”
  • Investigators obtain samples of the counterfeit products
  • Obtain manufacturer information/documentation (i.e., the location of manufacturer, price, etc.)

Phase II:

  • Bring proof of the infringement to the attention of China’s Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC)
  • Coordinate the seizure of the containers with Chinese Customs

Phase III:

  • Take counterfeit manufacturers to court

Pierre explains that Chinese judges encourage settlements between the counterfeit manufacturers and the brand. In fact, often a settlement is preferred between the parties. It gives the brand the opportunity to insist on the destruction of the remaining stock, as well as the molds of the duplicated product. According to Pierre, Chinese settlements don’t always ensure the molds are destroyed.

Finally, Pierre said, “Finding the source of the counterfeits is key for us.” She explained that filing lawsuits in multiple countries in pursuit of counterfeits are time-consuming and expensive. Their experience confirms that pursuing the manufacturers and the importers is a much more effective strategy.

Objective: Keep the counterfeits from leaving China.

Isabelle Bissey Pierre is an Attorney and Legal Manager Digital and Intellectual Property at Groupe SEB, Limonest, Phone-Alpes, France, and can be easily contacted through Linkedin.

Link to the interview:

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Ron Alvarez is an IP investigations and protection consultant and writer in New York City. He is a former NYPD lieutenant where he investigated robbery, narcotics, internal affairs, and fine art theft cases. Ron has since coordinated the private investigation of international fraud and money laundering cases, as well as IP-related investigations and research involving the four pillars of IP: copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. Ron is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and earned a B.A. in Government and Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. He has written a number of articles for various investigative publications, as well as published "The World of Intellectual Property (IP) Protection and Investigations" in November 2021.

1 comment on “French IP Attorney Details Her Pursuit of Counterfeit Manufacturers in China (+AUDIO)

  1. Pingback: Wanted: Another Counterfeit Manufacturer in China – IP-PI-BLOG

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