"The Internet of Counterfeiting," Davis Wright Tremaine, Portland, Ore.

The Internet has shifted the counterfeiting paradigm, making the distribution and sale of counterfeit goods and pirated content easier and more lucrative, using modern digital marketing tools to reach a virtually limitless number of customers. Operating from places overseas and doing business largely online, counterfeiters are able to operate anonymously, conceal assets by passing them through multinational payment systems and banks, and hide behind local laws that prevent access to information or enforcement.

In this session, DWT partner Roxanne Elings discussed the methods counterfeiters use, their impact on the brand owner’s bottom line and strategies available to brand owners to combat this growing threat.