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Practice 03

IPR & Brand Protection

Counterfeits and diverted stock take revenue and put customers at risk. We find the source and help you shut it down.

Discuss a matter What we do
Our approach

Brand protection works when the field and the desk work together. Our investigators survey markets, buy the product and trace it to the people who make it; our analysts watch marketplaces and social channels; and both feed one record that stands up in a raid, a takedown or a courtroom.

When clients call us

  • 01Fake products found in the market
  • 02Unusual price drops in a territory
  • 03Customer complaints about quality
  • 04Look-alike packaging or marks
  • 05Fake dealership or recruitment websites
  • 06Stock leaking across territories
What we do

8 services, one accountable team.

Market surveys, source investigations, raids, online enforcement and grey-market checks.

Market surveys and test purchases

Field surveys and test buys that map where fakes and look-alikes are sold.

How it works

Source investigations

Tracing counterfeit supply back to the manufacturers, printers, packers and warehouses.

How it works

Raid and enforcement support

Working with police and counsel on raids, seizures and evidence that holds up.

How it works

Online and marketplace monitoring

Detection and takedown of infringing listings, sellers, social pages and domains.

How it works

Grey-market and diversion checks

Tracking stock that leaves authorised channels, territories or price bands.

How it works

Trademark and design infringement

Evidence for infringement and passing-off actions, with monitoring after the case.

How it works

Domain and INDRP proceedings

Action against websites misusing your marks, including fake dealership and recruitment sites.

How it works

Supply-chain investigations

Tracing leakage, diversion and refilling from plant to retailer, reconciling dispatches against sales.

How it works
Each service, explained

When you need it, what we do and what you receive.

Every engagement is scoped in writing before work begins. These are the services clients most often combine.

03.01

Market surveys and test purchases

Field surveys and test buys that map where fakes and look-alikes are sold.

When you need it

You suspect fakes, look-alikes or refills in the market, but do not know where or how much.

What we do

  • City and channel sampling plans
  • Covert test purchases with a documented chain of custody
  • Product and packaging comparison against genuine stock
  • Market maps by territory and channel

What you receive

A quantified picture of infringement by market, backed by evidence.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.02

Source investigations

Tracing counterfeit supply back to the manufacturers, printers, packers and warehouses.

When you need it

Fakes are confirmed, and you need the people and premises behind them.

What we do

  • Tracing supply from retailer to wholesaler and beyond
  • Identifying manufacturers, printers, packers and warehouses
  • Surveillance and discreet source enquiries
  • Evidence packs for enforcement

What you receive

Identified sources and an actionable enforcement plan.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.03

Raid and enforcement support

Working with police and counsel on raids, seizures and evidence that holds up.

When you need it

You are ready to act against a source or a distribution point.

What we do

  • Coordination with police and counsel
  • Pre-raid verification of premises and stock
  • On-site support and seizure documentation
  • Post-raid follow-up and case tracking

What you receive

Seizures and cases supported by evidence that holds up in court.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.04

Online and marketplace monitoring

Detection and takedown of infringing listings, sellers, social pages and domains.

When you need it

Infringing listings, sellers and social pages are selling your brand online.

What we do

  • Monitoring of marketplaces and social commerce
  • Seller profiling and repeat-offender linking
  • Takedown notices and escalation
  • Reporting on removal rates and re-listing

What you receive

Fewer infringing listings, and a record of every takedown.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.05

Grey-market and diversion checks

Tracking stock that leaves authorised channels, territories or price bands.

When you need it

Stock is leaving authorised channels, territories or price bands.

What we do

  • Batch and code tracing from plant to point of sale
  • Distributor and dealer stock checks
  • Price-band monitoring across territories
  • Identification of the partners who divert

What you receive

Evidence of where diversion happens and who is responsible.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.06

Trademark and design infringement

Evidence for infringement and passing-off actions, with monitoring after the case.

When you need it

A competitor or seller is using a mark, design or trade dress that confuses your customers.

What we do

  • Evidence of use, sale and customer confusion
  • Investigator affidavits for proceedings
  • Support to counsel through the case
  • Monitoring after the order

What you receive

Evidence for infringement and passing-off actions that counsel can rely on.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.07

Domain and INDRP proceedings

Action against websites misusing your marks, including fake dealership and recruitment sites.

When you need it

Fake websites, dealership offers, helplines or recruitment portals misuse your brand and take customers' money.

What we do

  • Detection of look-alike domains, ads, helplines and map listings
  • Evidence of the scheme and its payment trail
  • INDRP complaints and hosting takedowns
  • Public advisories for customers and dealers

What you receive

Fake sites taken down and customers protected.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
03.08

Supply-chain investigations

Tracing leakage, diversion and refilling from plant to retailer, reconciling dispatches against sales.

When you need it

Leakage, refilling or re-bagging is happening somewhere between your plant and the retailer.

What we do

  • Reconciliation of dispatches, receipts and sales
  • Transporter and depot checks
  • Detection of refilling and re-bagging points
  • Control recommendations

What you receive

Leakage points identified, evidenced and closed.

This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.

Talk to a BDI partner
Method

From first sighting to a clean market

  1. 01DetectMarket sweeps, online monitoring and tip-offs show where infringing goods appear.
  2. 02VerifyTest purchases and product analysis confirm what is fake and who is behind it.
  3. 03EnforceRaids, seizures, takedowns and legal action against the source.
  4. 04MonitorRepeat sweeps confirm the market stays clean and catch re-entry.
Practice leadership

The people who will lead your matter.

Anumeha Gaur, Partner & VP, BDI & BDA · Brand Defence & Intellectual Property Rights

Anumeha Gaur

Partner & VP, BDI & BDA · Brand Defence & Intellectual Property Rights

Rajesh Avinash Yadav, Partner & Head, Corporate Intelligence; Co-Head, IPR Services

Rajesh Avinash Yadav

Partner & Head, Corporate Intelligence; Co-Head, IPR Services

Where this practice works hardest

Sectors we serve.

From The BDI Lookout

Further reading.

Product cartons. Photo: Tarah Dane / Unsplash
Article5 min read

Counterfeits have moved online. Brand protection has to follow them.

More than half of counterfeit purchases in urban India now happen on online platforms. The field investigator and the online analyst have to work from one record.

Pipetting liquid into tubes. Photo: Louis Reed / Unsplash
Dossier16 min read

The Pharma Integrity Dossier 2026: from plant to prescriber

Six areas where fraud and misconduct surface in pharmaceutical companies, the rules they are tested against, and the response a regulator expects to see.

Yellow auto-rickshaw on a busy street. Photo: Surya Teja / Unsplash
Dossier12 min read

Brand protection across India and the UAE

Two markets, different regulators and one problem: counterfeits that move faster than enforcement. A practical guide for brand owners operating across both.

Platforms behind this practice

The technology that keeps the record.

Each of these services can run on a BDI governance platform, so evidence, deadlines and outcomes sit in one place.

PlatformServices it supportsLink
IP Octopus M1: Repository & AnalyticsOnline and marketplace monitoringMarket surveys and test purchasesGrey-market and diversion checksTrademark and design infringementDomain and INDRP proceedingsExplore
IP Octopus M2: Case & Business Partner ManagementSource investigationsRaid and enforcement supportSupply-chain investigationsExplore
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