In just two days in the middle of March, around 20 employees of the central customs office in Darmstadt identified and seized a total of 170 suspicious products at the trade fair in Frankfurt/Main. Most of the confiscated products were illegal imitations of high-quality fixtures and pumps, explains Olaf Scheffler, spokesman of the Darmstadt customs office. In addition, officials seized numerous catalogs and digital data carriers containing pictures of alleged counterfeits. According to Scheffler, this is the only way to prevent the counterfeits from being ordered at the fair and then entering the market later.
First-time offenders had to pay a security fee of 500 euros for anticipated penalties and court costs while repeat offenders had to pay three times that sum. In total, the customs authorities collected more than 44,000 euros in security payments.
During their inspections, the customs officials were supported by representatives from various companies. “With our participation in the annual customs controls, we want to send a clear message against product and brand piracy,” explains Andreas Dornbracht, Managing Director of Dornbracht GmbH & Co. KG. “Counterfeiters must strictly be held accountable as they harm not only the affected companies, but the entire economy.” The company reports investments for brand protection, utility models/industrial designs and patents as well as prosecution of counterfeiters of around a quarter million euros each year.
Dornbracht is convinced that his company could, for example, create around 100 additional jobs at the Iserlohn location if it weren’t for counterfeiting. This statement is supported by various studies, including one conducted by the branch association VDMA, which concluded that plagiarism in the German machinery and plant engineering sector caused a loss of around 7.3 billion euros in 2016 (we reported).
The exhibitors who attempted to sell counterfeit products at the ISH in Frankfurt now face legal proceedings and penalties. “We have initiated 30 preliminary investigations for violations of the trademark, design and patent law”, explained Olaf Scheffler after the exhibition. Once the follow-up procedures are concluded, the counterfeit products are to be destroyed.
