Strategies for Anti-Counterfeiting Brand Protection

A graduate of New York Law School, Sheldon Pontaoe was named a Best Lawyer Under 40 by the National Asian American Bar Association.. He serves as associate general counsel at Elanco US Inc., a former business of Eli Lilly and Company. Responsible for managing trademark portfolios, Sheldon Pontaoe is also interested in anti-counterfeiting and brand protection.

Robust brand protection strategies help businesses safeguard their brands against infringement, counterfeiting, and pirating. Brand abuse or infringement can happen on many channels and fronts.

One brand protection strategy is to make regular audits of your brand infringement cases. Know how often and where they occur. For instance, are they most often in supply chain contracts and distribution channels or elsewhere? Such audits will help you implement appropriate protection measures. In today’s digital age, trademarks and brand protection measures should include countries with high rates of fake products and a history of counterfeiting.

In addition, you can engage and collaborate with relevant government and industry organizations that help businesses fight counterfeit goods, such as the US Customs and Border Patrol and the International Trade Commission. You can work with Customs and Border Patrol to develop suitable product anti-counterfeiting strategies, which can include training customs officers to identify infringing items when inspecting goods at ports of entry.