Counterfeiting: a threat to business and advice for buyers
The Federal Customs Service of Russia identified approximately 5 million units of counterfeit products over the past year. At the "World Quality Day in Russia" forum held in Moscow, experts discussed ways to combat this issue, which affects consumers, producers, and online platforms.
For more than six months, MAGENTA Legal has represented the interests of a popular board game manufacturer whose losses due to counterfeiting could reach up to 1 billion rubles.
Our lawyer, Ekaterina Samakaeva, commented on the situation, noting the increase in the number of illegal sellers on marketplaces. According to her assessment, the number of counterfeit board games on platforms has doubled in a short period. Meanwhile, the methods employed by marketplaces to combat counterfeiting remain insufficiently effective. Of course, a significant responsibility for combating counterfeit goods rests with the buyer.
Ekaterina recommends considering a few simple indicators that suggest a product may be counterfeit:
- Extremely low price – if the price of the item is noticeably below the market average, it should raise suspicion;
- Reviews and ratings – negative reviews and low ratings often point to a counterfeit product. Additionally, in the case of board games, fake sets may lack essential game components;
- Packaging labeling – counterfeit products are often characterized by Chinese manufacturers named on the packaging and the absence of Cyrillic text.