Aug 21 2009
ContiTech has achieved a further victory in the fight against product forgeries: The company managed to prove that a large Chinese manufacturer had produced fake ContiTech drive belts. "This is a major step in the prosecution of illicit reproduction cases, since it was the first time that we were able to determine the manufacturer directly. Often, only the dealers and importers are held to account, and the producers of the copies remain unknown," reports Helmut Engel, head of the Automotive Aftermarket sector in the ContiTech Power Transmission Group. The company Taizhou Fuju Rubber Belt Manufacture Co., Ltd. has been fined.
ContiTech got the decisive tip from a customer. When local authorities searched the Fuju Rubber company headquarters south of Shanghai, they found large numbers of fake multiple V-ribbed belts as well as packaging with ContiTech labeling. In addition, further pirated drive belts with the designation of a leading Japanese carmaker were also confiscated. "In the future, we will work more closely with our customers in the fight against product piracy," Engel announced. "The key to this success was also our speedy response. It was possible to confiscate the products just a few days after the suspicion was voiced."
In protecting against pirate products, ContiTech pursues a holistic concept consisting of organizational, technical, legal and communication measures. The company is, among other things, active at trade fairs in its fight to protect its products and brands. For instance at the Automechanika 2008, the rubber specialist together with the Verein freier Ersatzteilemarkt e.V. (VREI) presented cases of pirated products that had been clarified. Visitors and the media were shown the technical differences between the original and the fake in order to draw attention to the problems stemming from copied products.
In 2007, ContiTech could already boast two major victories against product piracy: roughly 20,000 fake drive belts and packaging with ContiTech labeling were seized by customs authorities in Malta and then destroyed upon release by the courts. In Taiwan a trader and a general importer were ordered to pay damages. The court had found them guilty of dealing in about 4,500 phony V-ribbed belts and approximately 13,000 faked boxes - still empty - done up in the ContiTech design.
On the occasion of the latest case, ContiTech was once again keen to warn spare parts dealers and garages against counterfeit drive belts. Generally, counterfeit belts do not demonstrate the same quality of material and workmanship as ContiTech drive belts. If a belt tears, this could result in costly engine damage.
The economic damage is also immense. According to the OECD, pirated products impact the global economy by €150 billion each year. For Germany's share of world trade, this translates to a loss of €15 billion.