What to do about product piracy at exhibitions?

Business contacts are usually made at exhibitions. Manufacturers of comparable products compete with each other to attract potential customers. This contest is initially normal and stimulates business. The German electrotechnical and electronics industry has emerged particularly innovatively from this situation.

It is quite a different matter however when product pirates enter into this competition. By copying innovative solutions or designs of the original manufacturer they save themselves substantial research and development costs. By means of debasing the material and processing quality and the product safety, such counterfeits can then be offered on the market at a much lower cost than the original. It repeatedly happens that product pirates even appear at exhibitions in direct competition with the originals of their counterfeits. This requires rapid action on the part of the original manufacturer. Because the danger of a massive loss of orders is particularly great in the temporal, spatial and thematically close competition at an exhibition event.

The ZVEI therefore offers its member companies assistance in combating any cases of product piracy specifically for exhibition events.

ZVEI-Flyer “What to do about product piracy at exhibitions?”

The ZVEI flyer “What to do about product piracy at exhibitions? – Assistance of the ZVEI in the effective combating of intellectual property rights infringements at exhibitions” contains initial information on the subject of product piracy. It is intended to raise awareness of the subject and present the options for action at exhibitions. Further information on the subject of product piracy and intellectual property rights can be obtained from the ZVEI commercial law experts.

The ZVEI as a contact partner

In addition to general information, the ZVEI offers itself as the first point of contact in cases of infringements and questions of intellectual property rights - including outside of exhibitions. At the special request of the responsible ZVEI division, the commercial law experts will enable an extended availability during exhibition time.

Support with concrete measures – the ZVEI emergency legal service

Concrete measures against product piracy can only be instituted by the holder of the infringed right. Although the ZVEI therefore lacks the so-called active legitimation required, it can nevertheless provide support in initiating concrete measures. At exhibitions in particular, the greatest urgency is always indicated in cases of product piracy. At the special request of the responsible ZVEI division, the commercial law experts will therefore provide a ZVEI emergency legal service tailored to the relevant exhibition: Selected legal practitioners on the exhibition site respond immediately to cases of infringement together with the company concerned, and if necessary put a stop to the infringements during the exhibition by means of interim injunction. The use of emergency legal service takes place at the cost of the company concerned.

ZVEI members can order the flyer free of charge as a printed copy (available only in German language).