GBC prides itself in its anti-counterfeiting skills and capabilities, and our ability to protect our clients’ trademarks from the damage caused by counterfeit merchandise.
Nowhere are our capabilities stronger than on the internet, which has become a haven for fraudulently represented counterfeit goods. GBC regularly gets hundreds of websites selling counterfeit merchandise suspended from domestic website servers, but the international nature of the internet demands an international response, and GBC is ready to protect its clients’ interests worldwide.
Recently, GBC attorneys forced the suspension of approximately 700 counterfeit sites on servers in four foreign countries. After much investigation and follow-up, all four foreign servers agreed to “voluntarily” suspend the sites. GBC now also has open lines of communication with these high tier ISPs that will facilitate efforts in getting new sites that move to these servers down as well as any future resellers we might encounter. While some sites will reappear on new servers, losing their “safe haven” will be a major disruption for counterfeiters moving forward.
Server details and outcomes
- After significant investigation, we were able to identify two European based servers in the Netherlands and Luxemburg with reseller customers collectively hosting over 525 counterfeit sites. Specifically, the GBC counterfeit goods investigation determined that one server was actually a long chain of hosting re-sellers that eventually ended with a reseller in China. After weeks of persistence and multiple follow-ups, both servers agreed to comply with our take down demands and all sites have been suspended.
- A Malaysian based server initially ignored our complaints and refused to take any action against counterfeit sites it was hosting. After working through local counsel and continuing to apply pressure by threatening to file a complaint with a local trade association, the server began complying with our demands. All 80+ sites on this server that we originally complained about are now suspended.
- We encountered a Singapore based server that was hosting almost 100 counterfeit sites. While this server was initially responsive to our complaints, many sites would be suspended only to reappear on the same IP a few days later. We began sending follow-ups every few days and lobbied via on-line chat for the IPs to be shut down. After much effort, this server disconnected the IPs and all 100 sites were shut down.