Why Media Companies Should Screen the Backgrounds of Copyright Infringement Claimants (+AUDIO)
In an article published in the World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) on September 25, 2017, it was reported that a copyrightContinue Reading
Author: Ron Alvarez
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.
IP Protection: 8 Things Media Companies Need to Do Before Using Third-Party Contractors (+AUDIO)
Two weeks ago it was reported in Reuters that police in Mumbai, India, arrested four current and/or former employees ofContinue Reading
Fake Solar Eclipse Glasses: An Outrage (+AUDIO)
Tomorrow, millions of people around the world will get ready to watch the solar eclipse. How many of those willContinue Reading
Investigating Intellectual Property (IP) Theft (+AUDIO)
The July/August 2017, issue of PI Magazine includes a feature article I wrote titled, “Investigating Intellectual Property (IP) Theft.” The article takes aContinue Reading
Can Science Help Solve the Counterfeit Problem? (+AUDIO)
In the following intriguing video and article published in the Mirror on July 5, 2017, titled, “No More Cheap Knock-Offs: Here’sContinue Reading
China’s Bootlegged Computer Software Problem (+AUDIO)
A recent article was written by PAUL MOZUR, in the NY Times, on May 15, 2017, titled, “China, Addicted toContinue Reading
Transnational Pursuit of Sports Content Piracy (+AUDIO)
The following article titled, “La Liga Gets Tough on Piracy of Its Content” published in the NY Times on April 8,Continue Reading
Anatomy of a Major Brand Owner/Chinese Police Counterfeit Investigation and Seizure (+AUDIO)
The following article published in China Plus on May 25, 2017, titled, “Chinese police crack country’s biggest case of fake sports shoes”,Continue Reading
Proactive Pursuit of Entertainment Content Pirates (+AUDIO)
In a June 13, 2017, Variety article, written by TODD SPANGLER, it publicized the creation of a coalition of entertainment organizationsContinue Reading
Monitoring Your Brand on the Internet (+AUDIO)
One of many things a New York Times article titled, “A Small Table Maker Takes On Alibaba’s Flood of Fakes,” published onContinue Reading
2017 International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property Crime Conference
11th Annual IP Crime Conference will take place on 28 & 29 August – New York City, U.S.A – United NationsContinue Reading
Chinese Consumers Outfoxed by Chinese Counterfeiters (+AUDIO)
The irony of what’s reported in this June 7, 2017 article titled, “Chinese Factories Fake Shipping Addresses to Sell Counterfeit Air Jordans”Continue Reading
CBP Launches “The Truth Behind Counterfeits” Campaign to Inform Travelers of the Dangers of Counterfeit Goods (+AUDIO)
WASHINGTON—U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched the “The Truth Behind Counterfeits” campaign today to raise awareness of the dangers andContinue Reading
Patent Troll Supreme Court Decision has Strategy Implications for IP Private Investigations (+AUDIO)
The widely reported decision of the Supreme Court that limits the ability of plaintiffs (often ‘patent trolls’) to sue outsideContinue Reading
Is There a Different IP Protection Policy for Star Employees? (AUDIO)
The following shared article titled, “Uber Threatens to Fire Star Engineer in Legal Battle Over Driverless Cars” posted in the NY TimesContinue Reading
Big Victory for One Brand’s Zero Tolerance Anti-Counterfeit Policy (+AUDIO)
The following shared article titled, “Tracking Down a Counterfeiter, Bottle by Bottle, and Finding Justice” was published in the Corporate CounselContinue Reading
Brand Protection Teams in Pursuit of E-Commerce Counterfeiters (+AUDIO)
The following shared article titled, “Growth of Online Shopping Spurs Trade in Counterfeit Products,” was published in the Baltimore Sun onContinue Reading
Self-Storage and Counterfeit Merchandise-A Growing Concern (+AUDIO)
In a November 2016 article in the New York Times titled: Counterfeiting Trade Settles Into a New York Standby: Self-StorageContinue Reading
Staggering Counterfeit and Piracy Report (+AUDIO)
The following article was written and published by the World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) on March 15, 2017. “In FebruaryContinue Reading
The Need for IP Cargo Transporters to Conduct Background Screening of Their Customers—“Know Your Customer” (+AUDIO)
CASE STUDY In one of our recent investigations, a container leaves China en-route to a U.S. importer. The “bill ofContinue Reading
Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy–Roles and Responsibilities of Intermediaries – BASCAP (+AUDIO)
The BASCAP paper on ‘Roles and Responsibilities of Intermediaries: Fighting counterfeiting and piracy in the supply chain’ sets out stepsContinue Reading
French IP Attorney Details Her Pursuit of Counterfeit Manufacturers in China (+AUDIO)
On December 23, 2016, IP Fridays.com published their podcast interview with French IP attorney Isabelle Bissey Pierre about enforcing IPContinue Reading
Book Review: The Counterfeit Detective By Paul R. Paradise 244 pp (Koehler Books-2015) – AUDIO REVIEW
Reviewed by Ron Alvarez Paul Paradise has written a novel that is not only an absorbing investigative thriller but alsoContinue Reading
IPFridays.com Podcast Interview with Ron Alvarez
I was interviewed by IP Attorney Ken Suzan (co-host of IPFridays.com) about tracking IP “Proceeds of Crime” and money laundering,Continue Reading
U.S. Government Resources Dedicated to the Investigation and Prosecution of IP Crime
Knowing what U.S. government resources are dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of IP crime is essential for brand ownersContinue Reading
IP Fiction Story: Know Your Internet Presence (+AUDIO)
By Ron Alvarez Katherine couldn’t fall back to sleep. She rose out of bed slowly, careful not to wake herContinue Reading
IP Continuing Education: Michigan State University, Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection
As another school year is about to begin, it is a good time for us IP crime and protection professionalsContinue Reading
The Perils of Using Chinese Contract Investigators (+AUDIO)
One of the essential strategies used by brand holders to acquire information about the promoters behind the counterfeiting of theirContinue Reading
China to Australia Counterfeit Auto Parts Connection (+AUDIO)
It was widely reported in late May that Chinese authorities conducted a raid in the Guangzhou region, and seized 33,000Continue Reading
Review: Illicit Trade Monitor website (+AUDIO)
I was reading an article in The Economist yesterday titled, “Counterfeiting and piracy: Stamping it out: As China grew richerContinue Reading