Counterfeiting has become a huge problem in the smartphone busines, especially for OtterBox. Internal investigations and collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have led to judgments and settlements totaling nearly $11 million (U.S.) in favor of OtterBox in 2012. More than 118,000 counterfeit items were seized.
Many OtterBox cases protect the smartphone against water, drops or other damages. Buying a fake case may not break the bank, but may break your iPhone if you drop it. Most often the fake cases come from China and are sold on places like Craigslist, eBay and online auctions.
OtterBox wants to ensure that its customers receive the high quality product they expect from OtterBox, rather than an inferior and ineffective fake and so OtterBox has made it a top priority to stop the sale of counterfeit and “knock-off” products.
To establish a strong anti-counterfeiting campaign, OtterBox formalized a broad-based complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in May 2011 against numerous Chinese and U.S. companies engaged in the manufacturing, importation and sale of protective cases for portable electronic devices that infringe the intellectual property rights of the company.
OtterBox contends that Counterfeit OtterBox cases lead some consumers to believe they just made a bargain purchase. The low price tag means poor quality and a bad reflection on OtterBox.
Consumers are encouraged to report potential counterfeit OtterBox product by visiting the support page at OtterBox.com or email fraud@otterbox.com.
OtterBox recently increased its efforts to fight counterfeits by establishing a brand protection department in its EMEA office based in Cork, Ireland as an extension of its global brand protection team. This team in particular monitors online sales activities and works closely with online service providers to shut down counterfeiters selling online.
In 2011, Germany had the second highest number of enforcement cases in Europe, accounting for 20 percent of overall cases in Europe. Goods infringing intellectual property rights are increasingly entering the European market in small consignments, as a result of the growing number of online purchases in the region.