Combating Counterfeit and Parallel Import

Counterfeit damages businesses enormously in more ways than one. In addition to the loss of revenue, fraudulent low-quality imitations tarnish brand's reputation, erode brand loyalty, and undermine consumer confidence. Conversely, combating the proliferation of counterfeit goods encourages ethical business practices and legitimate trade.

The effects of parallel imports on the market, however, are often subject to differing interpretations and opinions. We stand ready to conduct a thorough analysis of your specific circumstances and offer tailored legal advice.

Semenov & Pevzner provides comprehensive anti-counterfeiting and anti-parallel import services across Russia. Early detection and thorough documentation of infringements facilitates a prompt and effective response to better protect our clients’ interests and achieve their goals.

Assess and analyze brands exposure to counterfeit products and their prevalence on the market
Conduct undercover test purchases to document infringements on video
Conduct systemic monitoring of small and large retail outlets, including market stalls, chain stores, shopping centers, and clothing stores throughout Russia
Gather and analyze evidence against wholesalers and manufacturers, including documents obtained from retail infringers
Identify and analyze websites that engage in the wholesale distribution of counterfeit products online
Handle pre-trial communications with sellers of counterfeit products
Claim and recover compensation from infringers
Interact with law enforcement authorities: hold coordination meetings, arrange for and conduct investigations, and provide legal support in connection with administrative and criminal proceedings
Conduct raids
Interact with the customs authorities; provide prompt response and support in connection with TROIS (Russian Customs Register of Intellectual Property) formalities
Provide support for enforcement proceedings through to the stage of debt recovery

Contact
person

Roman
Pchelincev

Head of Practice
Anti-Counterfeiting

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Represented Entertainment One UK Limited in a high-stakes intellectual property case against a Russian manufacturer and distributor of counterfeit Simbat toys that infringed on the Peppa Pig trademark. We successfully litigated this case to a favorable judgment, recovering over RUB 30 million in damages for our client

Entertainment One UK Limited

Successfully resolved a dispute between a rights owner and a Rostov-on-Don manufacturer of inflatable trampolines and a distributor in Moscow. The defendants were illegally using the rights owner's characters to sell trampolines for amusement parks. As a result, we recovered over RUB 10 million in damages for our client

Represented an animation company in an intellectual property dispute against a major seller of counterfeit products using popular characters from our client’s animated series on Wildberries and Ozon marketplaces. We successfully negotiated a favorable out-of-court settlement for our client, recovering RUB 3 million in damages

Successfully represented a British company in a high-profile intellectual property case against a Russian toy factory that was manufacturing counterfeit soft toy bears on an industrial scale. A criminal case was opened in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, resulting in a guilty verdict for a group of individuals

Contact
person

Roman
Pchelincev

Head of Practice
Anti-Counterfeiting