Product piracy | Protect your copyright!

Details: Released: 28.03.2023; Last updated: 03.04.2023; Hits: 6772

The VDMA estimates the damage to German companies Product piracy arises, to around 6,4 billion euros annually. Also Schaeffler is regularly affected by the counterfeiting and takes consistent action against counterfeit products. How and which means are still available, e.g. B. the WBA app, find out here:

Contents

Counterfeit rolling bearings endanger people and machines
- Any fake will be prosecuted
- Authorized reseller and plagiarism app
WBA app detects counterfeit bearings

Counterfeit rolling bearings endanger people and machines

28.03.2023 | Schaeffler takes regular action against counterfeit products. The globally active Automobile- and industrial suppliers in Schweinfurt 30.000 roller bearings Have copies with a total weight of 10 t destroyed. After scrapping, the material is melted down in a steelworks so that the steel finds its way back into the material cycle.

Any fake will be prosecuted

"Product counterfeiting is a major safety risk for people and machines," says dr Edgar Duschl, Senior Vice President Intellectual Property at Schaeffler. Rolling bearings and similar products play a decisive, safety-relevant role in countless applications. "A defective bearing can lead to premature maintenance requirements, a system standstill and thus enormous costs for the operator - or even cause a sudden total failure or even an accident with personal injury," says Dr. shower to think.

Bearings for everyone in over 60 industries

For Schaeffler, security aspects are therefore the most important driving force in the fight against plagiarism. The team consistently follows Global Brand Protection every case of counterfeiting in order to protect property rights. "On the one hand, there is the threat of civil law claims for injunctive relief, damages and the surrender of the counterfeits for destruction, but on the other hand there is also the threat of criminal prosecution, which can lead to fines and imprisonment," says Dr. Edgar Duschl.

Authorized reseller and plagiarism app

The copies come from all over the world. The Schaeffler app helps to identify the counterfeit Origin check. Dealers or customers can check suspicious products from the INA, LUK or FAG brands. The product code is scanned with the smartphone, after which a comparison is made with the corresponding product ID. Images of suspicious products can also be sent to the Brand Protection Team.

Schaeffler maintains an international network of authorized dealers. These are listed on the Schaeffler website. "From our point of view, it is important to sensitize everyone involved along the entire value chain, including dealers, repair shops and end customers, to this topic," says Martin Rugemer from the Schaeffler Global Brand Protection Team. He travels the world, for example to advise dealers and conduct training courses.

After a plagiarism find, the counterfeit rolling bearings are secured on site and kept as evidence until the end of ongoing proceedings. Fakes often become the same then destroyed on site, as soon as the intellectual property rights infringement is confirmed. Currently, the plagiarisms destroyed in Schweinfurt come mainly from the investigations in Europe within the last two and a half years.

WBA app detects counterfeit bearings

29.03.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX | The non-profit organization World Bearing Association (WBA) presents a new app to fight against Product piracy consider Bearings. With the WBA Check App, original rolling bearings from participating companies can be identified via DMC or QR code. The WBA Bearing Authenticator is available free of charge in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

When developing the WBA Bearing Authenticator to combat product piracy, the WBA and its members supported OneI Dentity + worked together. Due to the importance of the topic for the European and global rolling bearing industry, the VDMA has supported the initiative from the start by participating in the committees. The Association of German Mechanical and Plant Engineering sees the app as another, future-oriented component for the digitalization environment.

Customers, customs and dealers recognize brand piracy

Customers, dealers and customs authorities can use the app to manage the DMC or QR code scan on the packaging. If the code is correct and known in the manufacturer's database, there are no forgeries.

The WBA and its members have been fighting for years Counterfeiting of product pirates. In cooperation with customs authorities worldwide, counterfeit products are identified and confiscated. The WBA consists of three associations: JBIA represents Japanese rolling bearing manufacturers, FEBMA the European manufacturers and ABMA the US manufacturers.

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“The app is a proactive approach to preventing customers and dealers from using or selling counterfeit bearings. Counterfeit rolling bearings pose a significant risk to the functionality of the devices and systems as well as to the users themselves. WBA has committed itself to ensuring that customers are not deceived with counterfeit rolling bearings, ”says Alrick Danielson, President and CEO of AB SKF and President of the World Bearing Association.

The rolling bearing industry is losing out worldwide annually billions Dollars through products plagiarism. What is even more serious, however, is that the use of counterfeit products can seriously endanger the security of customers and cause great damage.

How does the app against product piracy work?

The Authenticator app can be downloaded from the Apple App and Google Play Stores on any mobile device. After downloading the app, users can scan a QR or DMC code on the rolling bearing packaging to detect brand piracy. The app determines the authenticity of a rolling bearing. It checks whether the QR / DMC code in the database of one of the participating manufacturers is valid and has not yet been queried more than once.

The WBA app shows the correctness of the product code using three symbols:

Green tick for the correct code and its presence in the manufacturer database
Yellow exclamation markif the code is correct, but already several times
scanned. Then the user should contact the manufacturer to determine the authenticity.
Red alert sign for bottle code. The red symbol indicates a fake. In this case, the customer should contact the manufacturer.

Housing bearing replacement saves significant TCO

If there is no code on the roller bearing or if the authenticity is in question for other reasons, it is recommended to contact the manufacturer. Via the app, users can easily get in contact with the manufacturers in order to Authenticity of the products to clarify. The following companies currently support the WBA Bearing Authenticator to prevent damage caused by counterfeit products by product pirates: Jtekt (Koyo), Nachi, NTN, NSK, Schaeffler, SKF and Timken.

NSK detects counterfeit bearings via app

27.11.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX | In cooperation with the WBA (World Bearing Association), NSK has developed an app that allows the user to Detection of counterfeit rolling bearings supports. In recent years, the company - together with the WBA and the Japan Bearing Industry Association (JBIA) as well as international authorities - has worked intensively to put a stop to counterfeiters and take counterfeit bearings off the market.

The NSK Verify app allows the user to verify the authenticity of the bearings by scanning the QR code on the bearing packaging. In addition, NSK has developed another app in cooperation with well-known competitors: the "WBA Bearing Authenticator: WBA Check". With this app, the authenticity of the rolling bearings from manufacturers who are members of the WBA can be checked.

Pillow block bearings made of stainless steel for food and pharmaceutical use

Here, too, the user only needs to scan a QR code. In this way, users who purchase rolling bearings from several manufacturers can ensure that original parts are used. If the app detects an unregistered warehouse, it will automatically notify NSK.

General technical knowledge

What is piracy?

Product piracy, also called brand priateness or product counterfeiting, is a business based on counterfeit goods that look confusingly similar to the originals. The counterfeiters, also known as product pirates, deliberately infringe copyright, patents and other forms of intellectual property, causing billions in damage every year by spreading counterfeit products. The enforcement of product protection and product security are suitable measures to take action against product piracy.