Working across the EAEU: protecting a market from cross-border counterfeit
A Russian market leader expanded into the EAEU and met a wholesale counterfeit shipment aimed at reaching Russia. A project office in every member state stopped it before the border.
The counterfeit was stopped in Kazakhstan, the trademarks were entered into the customs registers of the EAEU states, and criminal proceedings were opened.
01Situation
A Russian company that had become the leader in its product segment entered the EAEU markets. By then we already had a shared record of success inside Russia, but no work had been done across the EAEU.
02Problem
Some time after entering these markets, the company received a signal from one of the southern countries of the region about a wholesale counterfeit shipment.
According to that information, the consignment was intended for distribution in small lots across the member states, with the main objective of penetrating the Russian market as the key one.
The company faced a choice: either intensify enforcement across the EAEU at short notice and defend the market, or withdraw from the EAEU to limit the damage to the brand.
03Solution
Having studied the situation, we drew up a plan to intensify detection and enforcement across the whole region. A project office was set up with the client’s representatives in each country, together with programme leads on both sides.
Working groups were organised per country for information exchange and effective collaboration on the ground; meetings and training on identifying counterfeit were held with dozens of relevant agencies.
Monitoring was put on a regular footing in each country, with every recorded instance of counterfeit sale passed to the supervisory authorities. Comprehensive analysis was run into the wholesalers named by market participants and by the client’s sales team. The procedure to enter the trademarks into the customs registers of all EAEU states was initiated.
04Outcome
The counterfeit met resistance in every EAEU country on its way to the Russian market. Because effort was concentrated in Kazakhstan, the goods never reached Russia.
The necessary trademarks were registered in the customs registers, and eight months of coordinated work made it possible to cut off the original import channel, identify the organisers, open a criminal case and seize what remained of the consignment.
Case topics
Get in touch
We will hold a confidential consultation on your brief.