You've invested sweat and equity into developing your product, bringing it to market and building its brand--you do not want to risk all that to piracy.

The true economic loss from piracy to businesses is impossible to quantify. Estimates put global counterfeit sales at between $200 billion and $600 billion a year, which amounts to between 2.5% and 7% of all world trade. For a business, loss of sales and value are not the only injuries. Counterfeiting can undercut the reputation and good will of a brand you worked hard to build.

Counterfeiting is clandestine. That makes it difficult to detect and difficult to stop. When it comes to fighting piracy of your products, there is no substitute for experience and know-how.

Venable has years of experience battling piracy and protecting intellectual property. We have recovered substantial damage awards against counterfeiters for our clients as well as facilitated the seizure and destruction of counterfeit products. Because we know this business, we deliver both results and value.

Highly effective programs to thwart product piracy

Before your product goes to market, Venable's experienced professionals provide counseling to help you register and protect your valuable intellectual property, in the United States and worldwide.

Once your product is launched, we help you safeguard it through a highly effective IP enforcement and anti-counterfeiting program. Measures we employ include:

• searching the internet for evidence of infringing activity;
• policing trade shows, swap meets and major retailers for sales of counterfeit products;
• overseeing audits and investigations of manufacturing facilities;
• leveraging on-the-ground contacts in countries all over the world for a swift response to your counterfeiting concerns;
• monitoring production facilities abroad to protect your business and brand;
• ensuring that retailers of all types are fulfilling orders with authentic goods;
• tracking the authenticity of products that are returned to you and tracing the sources of any fakes; and
• monitoring containers en route to the United States and identifying their sources and destinations.

Springing into action to block illicit knock-offs.

If we uncover counterfeiting, we spring into action. We have powerful tools at our disposal to go after the counterfeiters and stop their unlawful conduct, including:

• pursuing civil and criminal penalties to stop counterfeiting and arrange for seizures in other countries, including China;
• tracing counterfeit products beyond factories to identify the leaders at the helm of the criminal enterprise;
• instituting legal actions to secure immediate injunctions against a counterfeiter's conduct, including its advertising;
• pursuing orders to seize the counterfeit products (to have them destroyed) and to obtain records and financial data to trace the counterfeiting supply chain;
• seeking monetary judgments and permanent injunctions against the counterfeiters;
• engaging in all necessary litigation; and
• shutting down infringing websites and recovering infringing URLs.

Whatever it takes. Wherever it occurs. We are ready.

Venable is one of the top IP firms in the nation. Our lawyers combine tremendous experience with a global network of attorneys and agents to put a stop to copyright, trademark and patent infringement all over the world.

We also have a long record of working with regulatory and law-enforcement agencies to address counterfeiting issues on behalf of our clients. Our team has well-established relationships with agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

Venable attorneys have also created and worked with industry wide anti-counterfeiting groups such as the Art Copyright Coalition and the Electronic Retailers Association Anti-Counterfeiting group.

The illicit trade of counterfeit and pirated products is rampant and no industry is immune. Luxury goods, household products, electronics, pharmaceuticals, consumer branded products, artwork, clothing, foods – virtually any consumer product is at risk of being ripped off.

For more than three decades, we have been helping companies protect their brands and their bottom lines against counterfeiting and piracy in all its insidious forms, wherever it takes place.