Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement Manual - Ipr-policy.eu

Brand Protection Manual
Unilever
As one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, Unilever strives to meet the
everyday needs of people through its food, home, and personal care product lines.
With around $50 billion in annual revenue and 170,000 employees, Unilever’s brand
protection efforts require a global perspective that accounts for the numerous markets in which
it operates. The company has gone to great lengths to combat counterfeiting, which threatens
its brands, workers, and the health and safety of consumers.
With a product portfolio of more than 400 widely recognized brand names, Unilever has many
targets for counterfeiters. A majority of illegitimately distributed Unilever products originate
in Asia, with China being the most prolific offender due to existing networks of sophisticated
manufacturers, brokers, and intermediaries. Illegal operations typically consist of mediumsize
and large-scale manufacturers spread out in multiple production sites throughout China’s
provinces. Over time, these manufacturers have honed their ability to produce the components
that make their way into the finished goods. Those products are then sent to markets around
the world, particularly in Asia and Africa, and often reach end users in the United States and
Western Europe, as the largest markets.
Richard Heath, Unilever’s vice president and legal and global anti-counterfeit counsel, oversees
the company’s efforts to protect its numerous products from intellectual property theft. Heath
estimates that Unilever’s total products are counterfeit, are consistent with international trends,
but are at the lower end of the published figures for organizations operating at a similar international
level. “We are known for being tough on counterfeiters and have a successful track record
of raids and seizures in manufacturing facilities and through our border efforts with Customs
agencies,” says Heath.
He attributes Unilever’s successes to the multifunctional steering group that the company established
in 2006 to combat counterfeiting. The group is led by the company’s Legal and Sales
teams and involves personnel from the Supply Chain, communications, public affairs, research
and development, safety and environmental, IT, and marketing divisions. One example of how
the group operates can be seen when its global sales force works with other divisions to gather
intelligence on alleged counterfeit products, which then results in raids at manufacturing locations
carried out by agents and governments officials. As Heath explains, the group’s mission is
“to create an environment that is both hostile and disruptive to counterfeiters by developing a
fully integrated strategy and operational approach. Information sharing is key to this effort.”
Other proactive measures play a major role in Unilever’s anti-counterfeiting strategy. The
company performs background inquiries on proposed distributors and undertakes a full risk
assessment program for new suppliers. These risk assessments help ensure the authenticity of
raw materials and allow Unilever to implement its product safety program earlier in the supply
chain. Because counterfeit activity can occur anywhere along the organization’s supply chain,
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