Moving from Defense to Offense: A Strategic Framework for Brand Protection

Not every intellectual property infringement is equal, and not every situation justifies the same level of escalation. 

For brands losing sales to counterfeiters on major US marketplaces, relying on reactive, manual takedowns is no longer a viable strategy. Counterfeiters operate through complex, connected networks - utilizing sophisticated drop-shipping, rapidly rotating domains, and cross-platform operations. 

In our recent webinar, Corsearch leaders Mike Sweeney (VP of Brand Protection) and Karl Florida (SVP of Revenue Recovery) outlined a comprehensive framework designed to help brands separate the noise from actual commercial risk.

"Online counterfeiting is very often underpinned by complex connected networks - and the result of all of that is many millions of individual enforcements and therefore removals or takedowns, as the full weight of our AI-native technology is brought to bear."

^{Mike Sweeney - VP of Brand Protection at Corsearch}

The Brand Protection Pyramid

To effectively combat industrialized counterfeiting, brands need a 360-degree, connected program. 

Corsearch approaches this through a strategic pyramid of services:

1. Strong IP Portfolio

The foundation of any defense is having strong, registered intellectual property. Without registered trademarks, copyrights, trade dress, or design patents, enforcement on any platform is nearly impossible.

2. AI-Powered Algorithmic Technology (Zeal 2.0)

Human monitoring cannot keep pace with the internet. Corsearch’s technology ingests, filters, and prioritizes millions of data points 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. "Without a data-driven tech solution, a rights owner will never have full visibility across the entirety of the infringement landscape, and they will always be reactive to the problem" said Sweeney.

3. Strategic Enforcement Insights

It is vital to work with platforms. While major US marketplaces face governance challenges due to third-party sellers, world leading e-commerce companies have invested billions into programs like Project Zero, the Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), and Brand Registry. Forging strong relationships with these platforms yields better outcomes.

4. Investigations 360

When basic enforcement isn't enough, brands must bridge the gap between online and offline activity by launching investigations to disrupt the supply chain at its source. Corsearch leads a team of expert investigators who understand how to dismantle complex global buyer networks through our Investigations 360 solution.

Restoring Platform Hygiene and Measuring Success

One of the most immediate ways to recover lost revenue is to clean up what Corsearch identifies as a "contaminated marketplace". 

Corsearch utilizes a metric called the Cleanliness Score (part of Zeal 2.0) to measure brand health across online marketplaces by tracking infringement presence, enforcement activity, and overall platform compliance.

The results of strategic enforcement are highly measurable. When unauthorized listings are frozen and removed, the authentic brand immediately reclaims its rightful search visibility. 

As Sweeney noted, "Many brands see lost sales restored immediately following enforcement action."

When dealing with high-volume, overseas counterfeiters who refuse to back down, brands must escalate their strategy from defense to offense, leveraging legal action to hit bad actors where it hurts most.

Speak to Corsearch today to find out how we create structured and robust online Brand Protection programs - our solutions not only stop counterfeit listings but shut them down at the source, while recovering lost revenue.