| Brand Protection |
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STEELE conducts investigations into counterfeiting, product diversion and parallel imports (gray market) and recovers loss or oversees the destruction of counterfeit goods. We are currently conducting brand protection investigations, including controlled buys and analysis, in thirty-two countries, and employ several investigation models which are flexible and tailored to each particular geography and legal system. Our investigators undergo a personalized training period to understand our client’s enforcement goals, their products, their copyrights and trademarks, and other aspects of their business model. We utilize i2’s investigative analysis software to assist with global brand enforcement strategies as well as maintain a proprietary database of known diverters and counterfeit operations. STEELE delivers continuity and a world class investigation team that is capable of pursuing brand violators to the source. STEELE conducts these investigations on either a time and expense basis or on a not-to-exceed budget based on a client’s defined interest.
Protecting your brand requires a multi-faceted strategy combining both prevention and response. STEELE created Counterfight™, a suite of brand protection services that encompass the lifecycle of brand protection from online to in country investigations. Counterfight™ encompasses five components that can be engaged as a total brand protection suite or as stand alone solutions that integrate with your existing program. Counterfight™ includes working with your company to help design, augment or improve your brand identity program; we then provide you with proprietary web monitoring software which is able to identify brand protection violations over the Internet. For companies who want to protect themselves online, but don't have the manpower or know-how to do it, Counterfight has a managed service component which provides analysts to act on your behalf to effectively and efficiently find and stamp out instances of online brand abuse and violations. Once potential violations are identified, we employ a defined decision process to deploy field investigators who are able to validate the violations anywhere in the world, participate in the enforcement action to recover product and assist in prosecution. Counterfight™ is priced based on the scope of the program. Components such as the web monitoring software and the managed services to monitor the internet for brand violations are fixed cost subscription-based services. |