Sennheiser Intensifies Customer and Brand Protection

Informations

• Publié par: sennheiser-electronic-gmbh-co-kg
• Nombre de lectures: 9
• Langue: English

Extrait

Sennheiser Intensifies Customer and Brand

Protection

PR Newswire

WEDEMARK, Germany, June 20, 2012

WEDEMARK,

Germany

,

June 20, 2012

/PRNewswire/ --

Audio specialist proposes new measures to counteract

product piracy

As a premium manufacturer of microphones,

headphones and wireless transmission systems,

Sennheiser is intensifying its global commitment to

fighting product piracy. The clear focus of all measures

is the protection of both customer and brand.

"Customers are being deceived in a criminal way with

counterfeit products. With the clear intent to defraud

low grade products are being sold as 'branded'

products", explains Volker Bartels, Speaker of the

Executive Management Board. Background: The sound

quality of the counterfeit versions falls far short of the

strict quality standards of genuine Sennheiser

products. Furthermore, because these fake products do

not undergo any of the stringent quality checks of the

genuine articles, damage to the user's hearing may

potentially be an issue.

Safety labelling makes authentication easier

Sennheiser protects its customers from plagiarism with latest technologies

which offer maximum protection against counterfeiting and enable retailers

and customers to verify authenticity. In future, Sennheiser product-packaging

and the products themselves will be protected with tesa scribos

®

PrioSpots.

These special labels offer maximum protection against counterfeiting by a

combination of concealed and visible security features. The PrioSpots on

Sennheiser packaging and products are linked to the manufacturer's overall

brand security concept and use the connect & check system. This enables

users, retailers or customs investigators to check the authenticity of a product

quickly by using an internet-enabled smartphone or a notebook. The simple

process involves reading the QR code printed on the packaging and

transmitting the data via a secure internet connection to confirm the product's

authenticity. "The investment in a system which provides counterfeit-proof

identification of our products results in effective protection for our customers

and for retailers", says Volker Bartels.

Focused action against illegal online trading

The global market for counterfeit electronic products is estimated to be worth

74 billion Euro

* per year. Without proactive measures to fight criminal dealer

activity, the market will continue to grow. In order to effectively stem the trade

of counterfeit goods on the internet, Sennheiser and OpSec Security have been

working together in

Europe

since early 2012. On Sennheiser's behalf the

experts from OpSec search relevant internet portals for potentially suspicious

products. This collaboration has been highly successful so far, and it is now due

to be deployed worldwide. "Thanks to online screening we have been able to

significantly reduce the volume of illegal supplies in

Europe

. We therefore want

to use this highly effective tool in other parts of the world now", says Volker

Bartels. Sennheiser is particularly concerned about the illegal trade in

Asia

.

With the help of online screening, the most active Asian B2B platforms are

continually scanned so any illegal online auctions taking place, can be

systematically stopped. "We are concentrating especially on the Asian illegal

trade as a lot of counterfeits originate from there. This way, we can stop these

products from reaching

Europe

, the

USA

or other parts of the world in the first

place."

Legal penalties for brand pirates

Using its own research as well as the information obtained from OpSec,

Sennheiser has provided its support to international customs and investigation

authorities. Therefore it is not only Sennheiser who stop these suppliers and

dealers of counterfeit goods; they also potentially face prosecution for their

activities. "Each year Sennheiser invests significantly into research and

development in order to provide our customers with the best technology and

the best possible sound", explains Volker Bartels. "The harm done to our

customers and our markets by product piracy is completely unacceptable to us.

We will therefore use everything at our disposal to fight it." In order to be on

the safe side the company recommends that any customers looking to buy

Sennheiser products, purchase only from retailers within the authorised dealer

network.

* Source: Black Market Data Site Havocscope

Please find additional info grafics at

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/about-sennheiser/press/

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG

Edelgard Marquardt

Global Corporate Public Relations Manager

Am Labor 1 • 30900 Wedemark

Tel [phone]

Fax [phone]

[e-mail]