Fight back.
If you’ve been deceived into buying a fake product, contact the seller immediately and try to cancel the purchase. Tell the seller that you want to give back the product in exchange for a refund. An attorney can be helpful. If you ordered the counterfeit from abroad, you’re not allowed to send it back as exporting counterfeit goods is prohibited. Reselling it at home is also not a solution as you make yourself liable to prosecution by doing so.
What should you do when customs seizes your fakes?
Customs officials must notify the original manufacturer of suspicious counterfeits and initially retain the goods. It’s better to forego the goods if you’re not one hundred percent certain that they’re genuine. If you decide not to forgo them and the original manufacture is able to persuade the court that the goods are counterfeit, you might have to pay additional costs. In addition, you can be faced with having to pay claims for damages. If the manufacturer is unable to prove to the court that the goods are counterfeit, your items will be returned to you and you will not have to bear any costs.
Report the incident.
Report the incident in as much detail as you can and include all evidence to one of the hotlines below. In doing so, you are making an important contribution to the fight against counterfeiting and piracy.
Websites with fake goods
Report websites with fake goods or fake online shopsending in.ch directly to the cybercrime police.
Websites selling counterfeits or fake online shops with any other domain extensions can only be blocked by the rights holder. You can find these at www.swissreg.ch.
Online Marketplaces
Sales platforms like eBay provide buyer protection programmes, which can help if necessary. If you paid with a credit card, notify the credit card issuer and dispute the bill within the stated time limits. If you have bought a counterfeit from an online marketplace, contact their customer service immediately and report the incident giving the seller’s name and the product bought. These online platforms work together with affected original manufacturers and can give you the contact addresses of the rights owners.
The police
It’s possible to file a complaint against the seller at any police station or with the regional public prosecutor’s office. If the offender is acting commercially, authorities are required by law to investigate the case. Regardless of the likelihood of successful prosecution, it’s still important that officials are notified of such incidents.
Affected rights holders (trade marke owners)
Watches:
info@fhs.ch or
antipiracy@safe.ch
Music:
suisa@suisa.ch and info@ifpi.ch
Brand name products in the consumer goods sector:
info@promarca.ch
Medicines:
Stop Piracy Secretariat
Tell us about your experiences (info@stop-piracy.ch). If you have an interesting case, we’ll publish it with your permission to help to warn other consumers.
Schweizerisches Konsumentenforum (in German)
The e-commerce ombudsman’s office is responsible for complaints concerning online purchases for which no amicable settlement between the parties affected has been able to be found.
Do have any other questions about counterfeiting and piracy
contact us