Asian product pirates are as creative as they are unscrupulous with copies of known brand names. WIKA is also affected, which is why the company has taken legal action against the perpetrators. This requires uncompromising action, as demonstrated in the incident of the pressure gauge copies that were produced in China and emerged in Vietnam. This case was awarded the Plagiarius trophy 2017.
Thanks to its widespread customer and distributor network, WIKA is notified relatively quickly of possible product piracies. This was also the case in Vietnam, where a dealer in Ho Chi Minh City was offering alleged WIKA pressure gauges, which turned out to be fake.
External storage
This prompted WIKA to perform a test purchase in order to prove the dealer’s guilt. First, he disappeared for 10 minutes, probably in order to fetch the goods from an external warehouse. In order to determine the storage site, a second test purchase was performed in which a person entrusted by WIKA followed the dealer. Given the severity of the case, WIKA decided to have the storage site raided by police. This had to take place rapidly, in order to prevent a possible clearance of the facility. The Vietnamese Economic Police were persuaded of the necessity to act quickly and raided the place. The result was more than 1000 confiscated instruments and the institution of legal proceedings against the dealer.
The suspect’s connection to a large dealer network kept suspicion alive and so, six months later, another test purchase was made. Usually, Asian dealers lose interest in distributing imitations after the first contact with the police because their fear of loss of face is too great. All the greater the surprise then that in this case the raid had been insufficient: the dealer was now offering ‘VIKA’ instruments. Moreover, his intention was to register VIKA as a trademark in Vietnam.
Written apology
WIKA immediately ordered another raid and requested the deletion of the trademark VIKA. However, the second step required an expert opinion that the label VIKA and the WIKA imitations represented an infringement against the trademark rights, which was successful. In the meantime, the dealer in question has apologised in writing and promised to stay away from imitations in the future.
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...Groundbreaking renewable energy skills platform
News
South Africa’s renewable energy sector has taken a significant leap forward with the launch of PowerUp. A South African first, this online platform is designed to equip the country’s workforce with the skills required to meet industry demands.
Read more...Innomotics wins Platinum TITAN Brand Award for Best Corporate Rebranding
News
Innomotics has been awarded with the Platinum TITAN Brand Award for Best Corporate Rebranding. The international jury honoured Innomotics’ efforts to develop a powerful and recognisable brand after the carve-out of Innomotics from the Siemens Group in 2023.
Read more...Unlocking Africa’s hydrogen potential
News
Africa is positioning itself as a frontrunner in the global green energy revolution, with hydrogen emerging as a critical commodity of strategic and national importance across the continent. Namibia is putting ambition into action by having already reached a number of key milestones towards final investment decision on up to five projects.
Read more...Fuchs doubles sales volume
News
An aggressive growth strategy in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade has resulted in Fuchs Lubricants South Africa achieving a CAGR of 6% in volume sold since 2015. The result of this is that sales volume has nearly doubled in this time.
Read more...High-quality sensing and automation equipment
News
The Turck Banner Demo Van is showcasing the company’s latest products and solutions.Turck Banner sells directly to end users and OEMs in a broad range of industries and applications.
Read more...From ground to compound: the journey of crude oil Wearcheck
News
You’re in for a ‘crude awakening’ when you download WearCheck’s latest Technical Bulletin. You will be treated to an in-depth explanation of the processes of producing oil, fuel and other petrochemical wonders that power our modern lifestyle.
printer friendly version