Copyright Infringement

Intellectual property theft, often known as copyright infringement or trademark infringement, is an extremely complex area that covers a huge range of situations and scenarios. It’s because of this complexity that many private investigators do not offer a tailored service to investigate such matters. At Insight Investigations we have a specialist team with years of training and experience investigating illegal use of intellectual property.

If an individual or business uses without permission your intellectual property, it can potentially impact both revenue and the reputation of your business or brand. That’s why investigating the situation swiftly and effectively, as soon as suspicions arise, is crucial to protecting yourself in the immediate and long term.

Intellectual property can refer to copyrights, trademarks, patents or trade secrets and each area is regulated, licenced and governed specifically and individually, meaning the applicable laws are extremely varied. Having a team of private investigators who understand the deep complexities is essential to ascertain the right information to resolve your infringement case.

Over the years, the team at Insight have helped to resolve many different cases, from the sale of counterfeit branded goods through to reproduction and distribution of copyrighted works. The tactics adopted by our team will be tailored specifically to your case, when it comes to the theft of intellectual property there is no one size fits all solution.

You may be an individual, brand or business looking to identify those who are using your intellectual property or perhaps a government agency targeting the sale of counterfeit goods in order to protect the public. No matter what your case, the team at Insight Investigations can offer support.

Copyright & trademark infringement

In situations where counterfeit goods are being sold, an on the ground team will often be deployed in order to gather intelligence on such goods. Often known as ‘mystery shopping’ our field agents will pose as members of the public purchasing goods in order for us to gather evidence as to where the branded products are being sold and how they are being positioned by retailers at point of sale. It’s this evidence that can often provide the foundations to a strong copyright or trademark infringement case.

The need for investigation into copyright and trademark infringement often goes well beyond the impact to an individual, business or brand. The danger these products pose to consumers can often be lethal and therefore fighting the sale of counterfeit goods is a cause we feel strongly about.

We often find a huge surge of these cases in the lead up to Christmas when independent retailers, market stalls, online and eBay traders can flood the marketplace with potentially hazardous products which can so often find their way under the tree.

For example, ‘fake’ toys being sold with the registered CE mark, indicating the toy is safe for children, can become a choking or fire hazard and even contain toxic substances, posing significant risk to families across the country.

Similarly, when electrical products which carry a brand name and the relevant certification trademark stamp, turn out to be counterfeit, a simple purchase for the home can turn into a ticking timebomb.

The way in which counterfeit products are created, distributed and sold has become increasingly more sophisticated over the years and can appear in seemingly legitimate retail environments. Our team can help to research, identify and gather evidence for every type of copyright and trademark infringement and will tailor a specific case strategy dependant on your situation.

If you suspect your intellectual property is being used illegally or there are counterfeit goods being sold, you can discuss your case with one of our specialist team during a free consultation.