With two online hubs, the English-language trade magazine World Trademark Review (WTR) now offers information on global hotspots in the distribution of counterfeits. The data from more than 40 countries has been published over the last few years, together with an international network of law firms.
The first of the two portals deals with physical marketplace counterfeit hotspots, such as retail markets and shopping malls. Here, specialist lawyers from more than 45 countries provide insights on specific marketplaces in their respective countries which they believe brand protection teams should be aware of. According to WTR, they consider both marketplaces that are notorious for trading in fakes; and marketplaces with a lower risk, which e.g. might have problems with counterfeiting of certain goods.
The second portal, in contrast, is focused on online marketplace counterfeit hotspots which the authors believe brand protection experts should keep an eye on. The hub focuses less on large, internationally known online platforms. According to WTR, the authors from about 20 countries rather inform about smaller, locally significant platforms, which might be less well known to brand owners.
The two guides offer brand protection information for numerous countries worldwide, for example ranging from China and Vietnam to Saudi Arabia; or from Argentina and Brazil to the United States. Several European countries are included too, such as France and Spain. The information on the respective offline and online markets is supplemented by hands‑on tips from local lawyers. The two portals are also meant to grow further – for this, WTR is calling on interested specialist lawyers from countries that are not yet listed to contribute their expertise.
