Mike O’Connell, head of global antipiracy for Rubie’s UK, shares his opinion on the growing presence of fake and counterfeit product in the party market.
Supply And Demand
“Counterfeiting is a problem for every industry; piracy is as old as time immemorial. Where there is demand, there will always be supply and the problem isn’t going away. While marketplaces have upped their game in the fight against counterfeit, companies also have to take responsibility for their brands and take the appropriate remedial actions to protect their customers and their brand. We are achieving ground-breaking results in this area, with raids taking place regularly.”
The Foolish Few
“The majority of party and costume retailers don’t stock counterfeit goods and the small minority that do are being very foolish. We’ve already prosecuted two retail vendors and won’t hesitate to take action again.”
Antipiracy Action
“Having seen the extent that generic goods are being copied and substituted on marketplaces, suppliers could definitely do more. I am pleased to report that we have expanded our antipiracy team and are increasing our brand protection actions and anti-counterfeiting efforts.”
Zero Tolerance
“In the past three months alone, we have seen successful criminal convictions against four people. Whether selling online or instore, we are continuing our zero tolerance campaign, raiding premises and bringing counterfeiters to justice. If you see a suspected infringement, please report it to antipiracy@rubiesuk.com.”
