Protecting an Iconic Brand: How The Wombles Fights Counterfeits & Piracy

As The Wombles relaunched in 2023, the brand faced a growing challenge — protecting its intellectual property in an increasingly digital world.

The Wombles, a unique children’s book and TV series and British cultural phenomenon was born in 1966 when writer Elisabeth Beresford was inspired by her daughter’s mispronunciation of Wimbledon to “Womble-don”. From there, The Wombles became fictional, eco-conscious, pointy-nosed furry friends who live in the burrows and educate families to clean the environment by recycling creatively.

But with counterfeit merchandise and unauthorized content spreading across online marketplaces and social media, The Wombles needed a smarter, more efficient way to enforce its rights.

Read on to learn how The Wombles' IP data team are empowered by a combination of advanced AI and industry experts, enabling them to tackle infringements, safeguard revenue, and ensure that the much-loved brand remains in trusted hands.

Protecting IP in a booming digital market

As The Wombles expanded into new digital spaces in 2023, particularly on social media and global marketplaces, the risk of unlicensed merchandise and unauthorized use of copyrighted imagery and music grew.

The Wombles’ IP data team, a small but dedicated group of three, struggled to manage these infringements manually. “Before Corsearch, our team was overstretched, spending considerable time and effort chasing down violations on a platform-by-platform basis, which wasn’t sustainable,” explains Craig Treharne, Managing Director of The Wombles. Managing the brand’s IP with limited resources was labor-intensive and prone to errors, leaving potential violations unchecked.

An end-to-end Brand & Content Protection solution

In their search for a more efficient solution, The Wombles discovered Corsearch. What appealed most was Corsearch’s ability to provide a centralized, automated platform for IP protection. The system enabled The Wombles’ team to collaboratively address infringements while creating workflows to streamline the takedown process across multiple categories.

The platform's end-to-end offering really stood out to us. It gave us one place to make assessments, track patterns, and gain insights into unauthorized uses of our brand.

Craig Treharne, Managing Director of The Wombles

This centralized approach not only made managing infringements easier but also allowed The Wombles team to spot trends in product demand, which in turn informed their future licensing agreements and product offerings.

Streamlined removal of marketplace infringements and pirate content

One of the standout features for The Wombles has been Corsearch’s marketplace functionality, which has become the most heavily used tool within the platform. The primary threat to The Wombles’ IP was counterfeit products, and Corsearch’s filtering and sorting capabilities allowed the team to quickly and methodically address these threats across multiple digital marketplaces.

Corsearch provides a really quick workflow for handling repeat infringements in bulk. We can report — or accept — multiple listings with just one click, saving both time and costs.

Craig Treharne, Managing Director of The Wombles

Another significant area of concern was pirate uploads on YouTube. As part of their brand relaunch, YouTube was a critical element of The Wombles’ content strategy, and it was essential that pirated episodes and music were removed to drive streaming revenue to their official channels. “The platform showed us just how many instances of ‘Wombles’ there were on YouTube, and the potential revenue being misdirected,” says Craig. Corsearch allowed them to swiftly remove unauthorized uploads, ensuring that the official Wombles content remained exclusive to their channel or authorized partners.

Measuring success and gaining strategic value

Corsearch not only helped The Wombles clean up infringements but also provided valuable data that demonstrated the return on investment. Monthly and annual reports offered clear insights into infringement activity, breaking down actions by category, top infringing sites, and key markets.

In 2023 alone, Corsearch supported The Wombles in removing over 6,000 marketplace infringing products, identifying the top 10 keywords related to brand violations, and pinpointing the geographical locations where their IP was most at risk. “The data we receive from Corsearch helps us track exactly how well we are protecting our IP and gives us confidence that this partnership is a valuable investment for the future of our brand,” says Craig.

With comprehensive Brand & Content Protection capabilities, The Wombles has been able to protect its iconic brand in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. AI-powered technology and expert insights from Corsearch has enabled the small team to take control of infringements, save time, and use data to inform future business decisions.

As The Wombles continue to expand and grow, they do so knowing their brand is safeguarded, allowing them to focus on creative and environmental missions.

Find out how you can protect your brand with Corsearch

Over 5,000 global brands and law firms trust Corsearch to support them in establishing and protecting their IP.

Find out how you can safeguard your consumers, brand reputation, and online revenue with Corsearch’s AI-fueled, expert-led Brand & Content Protection solutions.