A total of around 1.5 million counterfeit Mercedes‑Benz products were seized last year in cooperation with authorities worldwide, as the Stuttgart‑based company recently disclosed. Authorities confiscated the fake items in 793 raids and customs inspections. On average, law enforcement agencies and trade supervisory officials thus carried out more than two raids every day last year against counterfeit products that infringed on the rights of the car manufacturer.
The number of counterfeit goods seized is about as high as in the year before: The Stuttgart‑based company had reported around 1.6 million counterfeits seized in 2023, and for 2022, they had also talked of about 1.6 million counterfeits. However, the number of reported enforcement actions and seizures has increased once more: for 2022, Mercedes‑Benz had reported only around 620 enforcement actions. This number had already climbed to over 740 in 2023, which represents a year‑on‑year increase of just under 20 percent, and has now reached 793 enforcement actions in 2024.
//“Originals stand for tested quality. (…) Therefore, we work closely with authorities to prevent the spread of counterfeits. Through our extensive fight against the counterfeit industry, we protect road users from serious accidents, safeguard customers from deception, and strengthen trust in our brand.”
Renata Jungo Brüngger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz Group AG for Integrity, Governance & Sustainability
As in previous years, online sales channels were once again a focus for the brand protection experts at Mercedes‑Benz in 2024. The well‑known car manufacturer discloses that over 212,000 offers of counterfeit Mercedes‑Benz products and pieces of content infringing on trademark rights were deleted in 2024. The number of offers and content pieces deleted has grown significantly in 2024. According to the company, only around 142,000 offers and pieces of content were removed from the web in 2023, while Mercedes‑Benz reported around 155,000 deleted offers and pieces of content for 2022. According to the company, counterfeiters continue to increasingly use distribution channels via online platforms and social media. In doing so, counterfeiters would take advantage of the anonymity of the internet and benefit from the decentralized structure of online marketplaces.
Mercedes‑Benz also employs targeted communications measures to strengthen its brand protection activities and its cooperation with customs and law enforcement agencies. For example, the company offers training opportunities and information materials to raise awareness of counterfeiting among customs authorities and service providers and to support them in the fight against counterfeits.
