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august 04, 2022 - Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz: Trend towards trading in counterfeit products on online platforms further increasing

Aug 4, 2022 Stuttgart

  • More than 1.86 million counterfeit #mercedesbenz products seized in over 650 customs and law enforcement raids in 2021
  • “The counterfeiting industry has organised crime structures and often generates higher profits than drug trafficking”, says #mercedesbenz Group AG Board Member Renata Jungo Brüngger
  • Brand protection team at #mercedesbenz focuses on safety-related counterfeits

The global trade in counterfeit #mercedesbenz products continues to increase. In 2021 alone, more than 1.86 million counterfeit products were seized in over 650 raids. This is a significant increase of around six per cent compared to the previous year, 2020.

Counterfeit products are not only illegal, they are also relevant to #safety and can endanger the health of road users. That’s why #mercedesbenz is taking rigorous action against such counterfeit products. The measures focus on components such as brake discs, wheels and body and steering parts.

Renata Jungo Brüngger, Member of the Board of Management of #mercedesbenz Group AG, Integrity & Legal Affairs: “The counterfeiting industry has organised crime structures and often generates higher profits than drug trafficking. We are working closely with authorities around the world in order to curtail these structures and combat threats to road #safety.”

During the pandemic over the past two years, product pirates increasingly used #online platforms and social media channels to offer counterfeit goods. It requires much more effort for brand protection experts to research the #online trade in counterfeit products. Counterfeit goods can be placed on #online platforms at very short notice and sold with the support of social media. For this reason, #mercedesbenz has further expanded its strategic and operational measures against counterfeiting in #online #trading. The brand protection strategy comprises three pillars: Detect, attack and prevent. Our brand protection experts can identify counterfeiters by checking suspicious offers on #online platforms and social media or trade fairs worldwide.

Renata Jungo Brüngger, Member of the Board of Management of #mercedesbenz Group AG, Integrity & Legal Affairs: “The #trading in counterfeit products on #online platforms and social media is further increasing. Our brand protection experts have quickly adapted to the counterfeiting industry’s growing business model. In 2021, more than 126,000 counterfeit products were removed from #online platforms.”

It’s often hard to visually distinguish counterfeit products from genuine parts. However, blatant differences in quality and #safety quickly become apparent on the test track and on the road. The quality of counterfeit products is usually poor and they do not meet the minimum legal requirements in terms of #safety. Therefore, counterfeit products pose a significant risk to the health and #safety of road users.

In many cases, organised counterfeiters have their goods produced under inhumane conditions with no regard for human rights, environmental standards and occupational #safety. The global #mercedesbenz Intellectual Property Enforcement team works closely with customs and law enforcement authorities. In addition, it regularly offers training events and information material for the preventive raising of awareness among different target groups.

Mercedes-Benz reports regularly on its work against counterfeiters. An example of this is an interview with a brand protection expert, who tells how she and her team are combating product piracy: Brand protection at #mercedesbenz | #mercedesbenz Group

Customers and road users can also support the prevention of product counterfeiting in their daily lives and check unusual offers very carefully. Typical indicators of counterfeit products are an extremely low price, conspicious product quality or sale via dubious #online sources. It is often even possible to see from the product images or designations that the parts cannot be genuine, since #mercedesbenz simply doesn’t manufacture such items.

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