{"id":15312,"date":"2021-08-26T15:24:13","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T13:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=15312"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:41:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:41:33","slug":"the-fight-against-product-piracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/insights\/the-fight-against-product-piracy_15312\/","title":{"rendered":"The fight against <br> product piracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mr. Duckeck, what is your role as Director Intel\u00adlec\u00adtual Prop\u00aderty at the company?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Together with my seven employees, we handle all tasks related to patents, designs, and trade\u00admark protec\u00adtion. This includes pursuing patent infringe\u00adments. I make sure that coun\u00adter\u00adfeit ebm-papst prod\u00aducts are taken off the market and don\u2019t damage our good name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does this work exactly?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We work on this with an agency called CorSearch, whose soft\u00adware \u2013 which also uses arti\u00adfi\u00adcial intel\u00adli\u00adgence \u2013 scours the internet for offers of ebm-papst prod\u00aducts. The adap\u00adtive soft\u00adware recog\u00adnizes coun\u00adter\u00adfeits, which then end up on a list. We look at this list and decide which adver\u00adtise\u00adments need to be deleted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is that how it always works?<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-24155 size-thumbnail\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/de\/files\/2026\/05\/DuckeckRalf_107721-2-edited.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-41236\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:259px;height:auto\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ralf Duckeck, Direktor Patent- und Marken\u00adrecht bei ebm-papst (Foto | ebm-papst)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>No, some\u00adtimes we are also approached by customers who are familiar with the quality of our prod\u00aducts but are suddenly expe\u00adri\u00adencing prob\u00adlems. An example of this was when a customer contacted us to complain that the fans they had installed were too loud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We found out that the supplier had unknow\u00adingly purchased coun\u00adter\u00adfeit ebm-papst prod\u00aducts on the internet because we had a supply bottle\u00adneck at the time. Actu\u00adally, despite all the frus\u00adtra\u00adtion, we took it as a compli\u00adment, as the customer was used to a higher level of quality from our prod\u00aducts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many coun\u00adter\u00adfeits do you pursue on a routine basis?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In collab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with CorSearch, we reviewed around 70,000 online ads in 2021. Of these, CorSearch reported 60,000 to us as poten\u00adtial fakes, and 42,080 were removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are there some\u00adtimes false alarms?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s quite a rare occur\u00adrence, but it does happen. We once had a case where a trainee placed pictures of coun\u00adter\u00adfeit goods in an offer on the internet. However, when we checked, we found that the trader was autho\u00adrized and that the issue with the pictures was just an over\u00adsight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Update: ebm\u2011papst uncovers Chinese coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting network<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>ebm\u2011papst, leading manu\u00adfac\u00adturer of fans and motors head\u00adquar\u00adtered in Mulfingen, Germany, is once again demon\u00adstrating its tire\u00adless commit\u00adment to protecting its customers and safe\u00adguarding its brand repu\u00adta\u00adtion. In September 2024, inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtors uncov\u00adered a Chinese factory selling coun\u00adter\u00adfeit ebm\u2011papst prod\u00aducts. About a year ago, the company success\u00adfully raided a coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting factory. Every year, coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting and the asso\u00adci\u00adated inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtions cause several hundred thou\u00adsand euros in economic damage and total costs for ebm\u2011papst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the begin\u00adning of July 2024, ebm\u2011papst again received a report from a long-standing customer who had received prod\u00aducts from the company that were of low quality compared to previous purchases. Ralf Duckeck, Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent Intel\u00adlec\u00adtual Prop\u00aderty of the ebm\u2011papst Group, and his inter\u00adna\u00adtional team responded imme\u00addi\u00adately to this suspi\u00adcion of product coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting and tried to find out further details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/de\/files\/2021\/08\/f-lscherwerkstatt-1.webp\" alt class=\"wp-image-41233\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">During a raid in Foshan, more than 300 suspected coun\u00adter\u00adfeit or rela\u00adbeled fans were seized \u2014 another success in ebm-papst\u2019s fight against product piracy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCoun\u00adter\u00adfeit prod\u00aducts pose a signif\u00adi\u00adcant threat to the integrity of our brand and the safety of our customers. Coun\u00adter\u00adfeit prod\u00aducts may contain infe\u00adrior mate\u00adrials and may not meet the strict quality and safety stan\u00addards that we guar\u00adantee for our orig\u00adinal prod\u00aducts. We are there\u00adfore committed to fighting coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting and protecting our customers,\u201d explains Duckeck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite several hurdles, such as false addresses, exten\u00adsive inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtions led the team to a suspected coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting work\u00adshop in Foshan that was pretending to be an ebm\u2011papst branch. The suspi\u00adcion against this work\u00adshop was confirmed after coun\u00adter\u00adfeit ebm\u2011papst labels were found in the waste. Further inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion revealed that the oper\u00adator of this coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting work\u00adshop was already respon\u00adsible for the factory closed by ebm\u2011papst in 2023 and had now relo\u00adcated and signif\u00adi\u00adcantly expanded his company premises. The oper\u00adator in ques\u00adtion was able to evade the Chinese author\u00adi\u00adties in 2023, but was already known to the police, having been caught engaging in similar activ\u00adi\u00adties in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns zitat-mit-bild is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Combating coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting is a top priority for protecting our brand repu\u00adta\u00adtion.<\/p>\n<cite>Dr. Klaus Geiss\u00addo\u00aderfer, CEO of the ebm\u2011papst Group<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on the inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion results and the resulting burden of proof, the Foshan Public Secu\u00adrity Bureau (PSB) was informed. In September, the PSB decided to carry out an unan\u00adnounced raid together with the ebm\u2011papst team. The raid was successful, and those respon\u00adsible for the coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting oper\u00ada\u00adtion were arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The activ\u00adi\u00adties of the coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting oper\u00ada\u00adtion in Foshan included the purchase of used, orig\u00adinal ebm\u2011papst fans from over\u00adseas, which were recon\u00addi\u00adtioned and then rela\u00adbeled. The recon\u00addi\u00adtioned fans were sold as new, orig\u00adinal prod\u00aducts. A total of four people were arrested in the raid, including the oper\u00adator of the coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting oper\u00ada\u00adtion and his wife. With this arrest, ebm\u2011papst was able to take down a profes\u00adsional coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting network. In addi\u00adtion, 301 fans and 500 ebm\u2011papst labels were seized during the raid. Inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtors were also able to secure prod\u00aducts and labels from manu\u00adfac\u00adturers in similar indus\u00adtries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The case has since been handed over to the public prosecutor\u2019s office in China. It can be assumed that he will receive a prison sentence as well as a fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCombating coun\u00adter\u00adfeiting is a top priority for protecting our brand repu\u00adta\u00adtion. Our customers rely on the quality and reli\u00ada\u00adbility of ebm\u2011papst prod\u00aducts, and it is our aim to main\u00adtain this trust. The successful inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtions under\u00adline our commit\u00adment to protecting our customers from infe\u00adrior imita\u00adtions. Our goal is to ensure that they always receive the quality and perfor\u00admance they expect from ebm\u2011papst \u2013 no compro\u00admises, no coun\u00adter\u00adfeits,\u201d empha\u00adsizes Dr. Klaus Geiss\u00addo\u00aderfer, CEO of the ebm\u2011papst Group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mr. Duckeck, what is your role as Director Intel\u00adlec\u00adtual Prop\u00aderty at the company? Together with my seven employees, we handle all tasks related to patents, designs, and trade\u00admark protec\u00adtion. This includes pursuing patent infringe\u00adments. I make sure that coun\u00adter\u00adfeit ebm-papst prod\u00aducts are taken off the market and don\u2019t damage our good name. How does this [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,4,121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fans","category-insights","category-interview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15312"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23089,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15312\/revisions\/23089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}