There was a good article in the July/August 2010 issue of Landslide which discusses protecting your brand from counterfeiters. The article, titled “Fighting Back: A 10-point Plan to Protect Your Brand from Counterfeiters,” outlines 10 points useful for those concerned with brand protection. In sum the 10 points are:

1. Register Your Trademarks
2. Record your registered trademarks with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
3. Monitor and Investigate trademark offices, the marketplace, affiliates and supply chains, and domain names
4. Take legal action when counterfeiters are caught
5. Seek formal recognition as a well-known mark in the countries which allow obtaining such a status
6. Work with local authorities, such as in foreign territories
7. Utilize the press using press releases and notices
8. Make it difficult to copy your products and packaging
9. Keep written anti-counterfeiting policies and guidelines which are to be distributed to employees and affiliates
10. Be active by networking through global or national organizations

For anyone interested in this area, the article is a great read. A copy of it can be found here.