Member Article

Nissan keeps more than 30,000 counterfeit products off the road with its online brand protection programme

Nissan and MarkMonitor Combat Counterfeit Parts That Put Drivers in Harm’s Way

SAN FRAN, 12 July 2017 –MarkMonitor the world leader in enterprise brand protection, today announced that the ongoing partnership with vehicle manufacturer Nissan, has made major strides in its commitment to take action against counterfeit auto parts that pose a threat to consumer safety and jeopardize its high-quality vehicle promise. Working with MarkMonitor, Nissan removed more than 31,700 counterfeit products and enforced against more than 125,000 marketplace listings, with a value of $283 million.

Since partnering with MarkMonitor in 2013, Nissan has been able to accomplish several major goals, including increasing customer safety, decreasing domain abuse and brand confusion for the Nissan and Infiniti brands, and significantly reducing counterfeit listings on multiple marketplace platforms globally.

“Our customers’ safety is our number one objective and counterfeit parts create an unnecessary risk to them,” said Andy Forsythe, Brand Protection Manager for Nissan North America. “Nissan is committed to vigilance against counterfeiting and partnering with MarkMonitor has given us the ability to detect these types of sales and educate dealers and consumers to the potential hazards these parts can cause.”

Counterfeit parts, which costs the global automotive industry close to $45 billion annually, are a major product liability risk for any manufacturer. Many of these parts are distributed via online marketplaces, or on illegitimate websites using stolen imagery and text to make them look like the real thing. As a result, unknowingly they are installed by car mechanics or consumers repairing their own vehicles and have the potential to cause serious damage when they don’t work. This can include higher customer service and warranty costs, or harm to occupants when the vehicle components such as brakes or engine parts fail.

“Nissan has taken proactive steps to protect their customers and ensure that counterfeit parts do not end up in their hands,” said Charlie Abrahams, Senior Vice President at MarkMonitor. “Counterfeiters are continually refining their methods to deceive consumers online and brands need a strong strategy to protect their customers from fakes. MarkMonitor has provided the tools for Nissan to educate dealers about the potential hazards caused by these types of parts and the ability to aggressively combat the issues of counterfeiting and brand abuse online, putting customer safety first.”

To learn more about Nissan’s partnership with MarkMonitor, see here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jonathan Kerr .