Anti-counterfeiting activities
Anti-counterfeiting activities
As a brand grows, so does the damage caused by counterfeit activities targeting the brand's products.
Tolerating counterfeit products can lead to various social issues, including damage to the reputation of the brand, economic losses due to lost sales opportunities, harm to customers' health caused by poor-quality counterfeit products, and environmental pollution resulting from the disposal of seized counterfeit products.
The Intellectual Property Department is committed to protect customers from the harm caused by counterfeit products, ensuring they can use our products with confidence, and safeguarding the brands of the ASICS Group. With a firm stance of not counterfeit products, we are actively working to eliminate counterfeit products worldwide.
Examples of counterfeit product measures
Examples of activities in Vietnam in 2024
In March 2024, as part of a public-private partnership initiative, we participated in the “Seminar for Vietnamese Enforcement Agency Staff” held in Hanoi, Vietnam, as a member of a Japanese business delegation. Additionally, in March and December of the same year, we independently visited Thailand's national investigative agencies to confirm future cooperation in counterfeit product measures. One of the outcomes of this activity was a large-scale self-initiated raid conducted by the Thai National Police at a shopping center in Bangkok. Also in Chinal, we are advancing counterfeit product raids focused on factories and warehouses to prevent harm to consumers and damage to our brand reputation.
INTA2025: Shoes exhibited at the Patent Office booth
During the INTA (International Trademark Association) General Assembly held in San Diego from May 17 to 21 2025, the Japan Patent Office displayed at its booth genuine and counterfeit versions of Onitsuka Tiger's classic model, the “MEXICO 66”. In recent years, the quality of counterfeit products has improved significantly, leading some attendees to be unable to distinguish between the genuine and counterfeit items. The sophistication of counterfeit products poses a challenging issue, especially when considering the limitations of trademark protection. As ASICS, we will continue to strengthen our efforts to raise awareness and prevent counterfeit products from entering the general market.
Visiting locations with counterfeit product around the world, seeing with our own eyes and touching with our own hands.
The Brand Protection team staff places a high value on a hands-on approach. While it is easy to obtain information about counterfeit products via email or reports end so on, the reality on the ground is often very different from what we might imagine. Rather than turning a blind eye to this, our team conducts real-time market research, which allows the team to gain a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding counterfeit products in each country. As a result, team members actively visit various countries and conduct market research on their own. Additionally, we value opportunities to visit government agencies in various countries and exchange opinions with local officials and authorities. By discussing issues face-to-face, we deepen mutual understanding across national borders.