ASGA Fights Counterfeit Sales in Australia
The Australian Sporting Goods Association have combined there sources of six high profile sporting brands along with the expertise of Global Brand Protection to fight the burgeoning issue of the counterfeit sporting goods market in Australia.
The six brands participating in ASGA's "Anti-counterfeit Project" include Taylor-Made adidas Golf, the Acushnet Company, PING, Wilson Tennis, Babolat and Prince. Global Brand Protection (GBP) is a company who specialise in intellectual property protection.
Recently, GBP coordinated a raid with police on the Maitland Markets in New South Wales where seven arrests were made. This particular raid resulted in over 2,500 items of sporting and leisure products being seized, worth in addition of $1.5m, highlighting this increasing problem. Items displaying global brands adidas and Nike were most prevalent.
"The significance of the Maitland raid indicated that regional markets are also involved in criminal activity by defrauding licensed brand owners." explained GBP CEO, John Rhodes.
Importing, manufacturing and selling counterfeit product in Australia is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
Sean Cary, ASGA's Executive Director said;
"The raid indicated to us that certain criminal elements are still involved in this lucrative trade with high return and low risk. However, with a consolidated and coordinated approach by the sporting goods brands, the risk to sell counterfeit product will become greater over time."
The ASGA Anti-counterfeit Project will focus on the participating brands, ensuring their trade marks are being monitored by Australian Customs when imported, over the internet through mediums like e-Bay, in street markets and traditional retail outlets.
"What ASGA learns from this six month project will be passed onto the rest of the sporting goods industry with an attempt to get as many wholesalers and traditional retailers understanding the process to minimise this criminal activity" said Mr Cary.
"It will hopefully result in the entire industry working together to bring this broadening problem to a manageable level" Cary further explained.
Consumers of sporting goods need to be aware of the potential for purchasing counterfeit products, especially in street markets and over the internet. As Mr Cary explained the common sign that a particular item is counterfeit is the price.
"The cost of the counterfeit item is often the attraction to potential consumers. If the price seems too cheap, it's probably a counterfeit product. Here in lies the danger for the consumer. If the product is counterfeit it is more than likely to be inferior in quality and could potentially pose a risk to the purchaser. It will usually be void of a warranty offering the consumer no back-up for faulty workmanship or worse still a physical injury."
Australia is very large on the global counterfeit landscape; some say the second largest country for importing counterfeit goods behind the United States. Our proximity to Asian markets and a lack of understanding of brand protection methods makes Australiaan easy "dumping" ground.
The ASGA Anti-counterfeit Project aims to increase the understanding of brand protection between wholesalers, retailers and consumers and to have the entire industry working together to minimise an issue that affects all who are a part of it.
ASGA was formed in 1985 to act as the ‘peak body' representing a broad spectrum of sporting goods industry participants ranging from manufacturers, importers and wholesalers and retailers. Its current primary focus is wholesalers and retailers of "Performance" sporting goods.
