These are the most brazen fakes

A friend drew Jörg Höltje’s attention to a particularly cheeky copy of his wall shelf. A German furniture retailer simply copied its Link design shelf, which Höltje sells for between 350 and 1050 euros, one-to-one. However, the decisive difference lies in the quality: while the original is made of high-quality oak wood, the counterfeit from the German furniture chain store worked with tropical mango wood. The hangers were also cheap and warped.

The designer defended himself against the cheap copy with a patent attorney. He also contacted the plagiarist himself. But the damage was already done.

Piracy is already annoying and expensive for big companies, but it can cost small and medium-sized businesses their existence, warns the EU Intellectual Property Agency (EUIPO). According to their calculations, if product ideas are stolen, small companies would have a 34 percent lower chance of survival.

After all, the furniture chain store has now stopped selling the wall shelf and destroyed all remaining stock. However, only after he was made aware of the plagiarism.

2nd prize: copy of high-tech Koziol glasses

Superglas from Koziol should not only be much more robust, but also cool the drinks for longer. That is why the manufacturer demands higher prices for the glasses “made in Germany”.

An incentive for idea thieves: The counterfeit product looks confusingly similar to the original, but there are clear differences in quality. The plagiarist Metplas from Turkey, for example, worked with much simpler materials – even though Koziol’s design is protected in the EU.

It affects many companies: According to a study by the EUIPO, almost every sixth medium-sized company has already been a victim of product piracy. The number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher.

In 2021 alone, an estimated 86 million counterfeit goods were confiscated in the EU – a full 21 percent more than in the previous year. Because the demand for inexpensive copies of expensive branded products is particularly high online.

3rd prize: Plagiarism of vehicle diagnostic systems from Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz cars can be serviced and repaired with a vehicle diagnostic system (OBD). But car repair shops should also take a closer look, because a fake of the system was sold on Ebay and a website last year.

The initiators of Plagiarius warn that this is not only annoying, but also dangerous. If the system is outdated and the necessary security standards have not been met, such an analysis tool can become a security risk.

In this specific case, the plagiarism also concerned the courts: a civil conviction was reached. Criminal proceedings have been opened against the counterfeiters for violating the Mercedes-Benz trademark rights.

Special price for a fake website

Not only products are copied one to one, sometimes the counterfeiters steal a manufacturer’s entire website. The Bavarian medium-sized company Wika from Klingenberg am Main has experienced this himself. A Chinese website unscrupulously copied photos, text and history of the manufacturer of pressure gauges.

From the point of view of the plagiarism award, not only trademarks and copyrights were violated. The forgery was also a deliberate identity theft to deceive users of the website.

Prize for the “laziest serial offender”

The Item company has been the market leader for modular systems for industrial applications for years. While some competitors are inspired by the products, the German competitor Fath has been bringing numerous very similar products onto the market for years, according to Aktion Plagiarius.

So far, however, there have been no legal consequences: inspiration is allowed and not always a brazen copy.

Another award for the plagiarism of an SD card from Volkswagen

The plagiarists don’t stop at software either. This even affects the German car giant Volkswagen. An SD card for the group’s navigation systems was offered by dealer IT Procars on Ebay at half the price. However, it was a fake. The dealer has since admitted to infringing on the group’s trademark rights. This does not protect him from legal consequences: VW wants to sue. The fake SD cards are no longer available.

The EUIPO warns that suppliers of machines and electronics in particular are more often the victims of product piracy. But clothing and fashion items are also often copied. A large part of the counterfeit goods comes from China or Hong Kong. The quality of the counterfeits is often poor and can even be hazardous to health, according to the EU agency.

The companies affected do not always fight back: Eleven percent do not take any action against the counterfeits, according to the authority. For many, enforcing their rights is too costly and complex.

In the end, the case ended well for Studio Hausen and Jörg Höltje. Still, he gets angry. “It’s a cheap, quick deal with the fakes,” says Höltje. Even large companies are increasingly stealing ideas in order to implement them cheaply.

The trend towards inexpensive design items in social networks is creating a popular sales market for many fakes. Even today, designer fashion is offered as fast fashion that is very similar in appearance but much cheaper. A similar trend can now be seen in furniture. “I would call it Fast Furniture,” says the freelance product designer.

The “Plagiarius campaign” warns that counterfeits of popular design products have become their own form of advertising. So-called “dupe influencers” present counterfeit goods on their channels, which the sometimes very young target group likes to access. Many of these copies are likely to be confiscated again in the coming year.

More: These are the brazen product counterfeits of 2022.