Experience of Wabco in combating counterfeit in Russia
One of the WABCO partners encountered an obvious defect. The audit began with a test purchase, and unfortunately for counterfeiters, the WABCO partner specializes in information and legal services. The fraudsters thought they acted sly. They made fake desiccants, but they screwed the original cartridge onto them. That is, the consumer had no doubts, if only there was more than one subtlety: the method of applying the WABCO logo to the casting. It is on these nuances that manufacturers of fakes usually stumble, along with knowing little about the policies that manufacturing firms are pursuing. So, for consumer protection in 2015, WABCO registered a trademark at the customs of the Russian Federation. And since then, no one, with the exception of a number of authorized companies, can import products into the territory of the Russian Federation. To help customers easily identify original spare parts, WABCO has developed new special packaging. Thanks to WABCO's distinctive PrioSpot® code and the ability to use a simple online tool to check a unique serial number, the consumer can always be sure that they are using an original WABCO product. At the same time, with the new range of budgetary ProVia parts, alternatives have been offered specifically designed for used vehicles. These measures made it possible in September 2018 to identify a large batch of counterfeit air dryer cartridges in the Volga Federal District. The lucrative business was suppressed with the police in November last year in the trade facility "Avtomag-NN" LLC in Nizhny Novgorod on Fuchik Street, 38. It turned out to be a rich catch: one and a half hundred filters, taps and dryer kits, 33 repair kits in cardboard boxes and plastic bags, ABS system modulators. All products were marked with the WABCO trademark. The total prevented damage amounted to almost 2 million rubles. ... On February 27, 2019, the lawyers of Vlasta-Consulting LLC, on behalf of WABCO, supported the demands of the police to bring violators to justice. The proceedings in the case of illegal use of means of individualization of goods ended on March 4, 2019. Avtomag-NN LLC was brought to administrative responsibility under Part 2 of Art. 14.10. "Illegal use of means of individualization of goods." The punishment was a fine of 100,000 rubles and the confiscation of all counterfeit products. The Arbitration Court decision of the Nizhny Novgorod Region was made in full on March 4, 2019. The entrepreneurs did not use the opportunity to appeal, which expired on March 19, 2019.