The Anti-Counterfeiting Practice functions between the firm’s Intellectual Property and Litigation/Dispute Resolution Practice Groups. It is designed to execute specialised anti-counterfeiting campaigns to meet the particular challenges of each client. These assignments are carried out by a dedicated team of expert lawyers, paralegals and investigators with practical experience on the field.
To continually meet needs of our clients in combating the challenges posed by the dynamism of the counterfeiters, our Anti-Counterfeiting Team has evolved several effective means within the ambit of the law (other than traditional civil litigation) of dealing with the menace of counterfeiting.
The firm’s Anti-Counterfeiting services include, but are not limited to the following:
- Extensive on-site investigations at known addresses where counterfeiting and other forms of illicit trades are carried out in any part of Nigeria and the West African sub-region
- Market survey of known markets where counterfeit products are sold and distributed, with a view to determining the source of manufacture or importation;
- Investigative trademark searches at the Trademarks Registry
- Administrative actions at the Corporate Affairs Commission in relation to the conflict between company names and trademarks;
- Obtaining Anton Pillar orders and injunctions;
- Organising and conducting Police raids in the markets and at locations of suspected dealers in counterfeits, with a view to seizure and destruction of offending products and prosecution of offenders;
- Combating parallel imports;
- Negotiating amicable settlement and extracting relevant written non-violation Undertakings from offenders;
- Organising awareness/sensitization campaigns in the markets.