Counterfeit products : the brands are struggling on the field, despite the explosion of the internet

according to their means, the companies are fighting counterfeiting both in the shops and physical markets on the platforms of sale.

David and Goliath. On the 18th of November last, without making waves, LVMH has won a victory, both symbolic and very important, by condemning the puces de Saint-Ouen to have sold counterfeit products. The group headed by Bernard Arnault was allied to the Nike and Lacoste to bring the case to court, as revealed by Challenges. For the first time in France, three companies have joined forces to combat counterfeiting. If sentences have already been imposed in the past against the sellers of this market, which every year welcomes over 5 million visitors, the judges of the court of Bobigny, have this time targeted the landlords rather than the tenants.

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Now, if the counterfeit products are sold in ten shops referred to by the three companies, the owners of the premises will have to pay a fine of 1,000 euros per day subject to a financial penalty. "This is the beginning of a series of actions that will continue, where the donors will be subject to some responsibility," promises Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira, general director of the Union of Manufacturers (Unifab). The approach of LVMH may seem paltry in the face of the small size of the traffic, but the fight against counterfeit products never stops on the field, despite the increasingly important role taken by the internet.

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large groups continue to hunt down the counterfeit physical

LVMH is not his first test shot. Every year, the leading luxury group in the world does not skimp on the means to detect and track counterfeits. He devotes no less than 40 million euros in its special department. "Conglomerates such as LVMH are extremely virulent to the point of being neurotic, they sometimes attack the same just by principle," says Annabelle Gauberti, partner and founder of the law firm Crefovi. All the more that the French justice system facilitates the legal proceedings. "The judges are very protective. They make sure that luxury brands and streetwear to be able to sell well in France," says the lawyer. According to a report from the Office of the european union for the intellectual property, counterfeiting each year represents a shortfall of 60 billion euros in Europe for the 13 major industry sectors, of which 6.8 billion euros just for France.

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counterfeiting is visible on the physical markets at night in the image of the brand. "The street is also a showcase. To force them to permanently see of counterfeit products, consumers get in the habit. This is a strong signal," says Stephanie Leguay, coordinator of the national Committee anti-counterfeiting to the INPI. If the internet has been drummed into the cards of the infringement, the "copy cat" products that circulate on the physical markets not happening. "Everything is on the web eventually rematerialize in the real life. It is not a question of abandoning a geographical area to focus on another, but actions extremely strong everywhere, on the sites of e-commerce, on the internet, in the physical stores. This is not to say that areas of land are abandoned, they are reinforced," says Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira.

The online sale rather than the field

other companies do not have the same resources as the giants of the luxury or leaders of other sectors such as toys, pharmaceuticals and clothing. They most often choose to focus on the eve online rather than the field. "Some companies need to make choices because they do not have an unlimited budget," says Stephanie Leguay. Abandon the field to focus on selling online, however, can seriously harm a business. "If the company leaves the infringement to invade its markets, it will not be able to protect its consumers," says Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira. We therefore need to remain constantly vigilant and keep a watch continues. "Every day there are on the Asia of new platforms that appear. He must return to his stick and re-create the dialogue," sighed Stephanie Leguay.

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LVMH, the luxury counterfeits

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technological solutions exist to try to defend its products on all terrains. The start-up Cypheme and Entrupy propose, for example, technologies capable of recognizing counterfeits. The blockchain is also starting to make his hole. For companies whose resources are not sufficient to cover several geographical areas, the INPI is currently implementing a global network of committees anti-counterfeiting. Companies often lack of relay on-site and can't always make them sleep properly. "Dialogue around the world, we try to find partners to move forward on these issues," says Stephanie Leguay.