Brand Protection Stories
A-CAPP Center, MSU
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The Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP Center) at Michigan State University hosts a monthly podcast focused on sharing the “STRANGER THAN FICTION” stories and experiences of our brand protection community.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Jun 6, 2022
Episode 14: Deborah Greaves on Theft, Diversion, Counterfeiting, and Trademark Challenges
Attorney Deborah Greaves takes us into the workings of brand protection in the fashion industry. Stories of the challenges in protecting the True Religion Jeans brand were many and included elaborate schemes of cargo and internal-insider theft, both of which resulted in diversion of product to unauthorized outlets. The brand also faced a unique challenge with its trademark, which prevented the Made-in-the-USA brand from being properly protected against counterfeiters.
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May 1, 2022
Episode 13: Chris Salgado on Hacking of Streaming Services
Chris Salgado, a career investigator, was called in to find a content streaming services hacker when other investigators had failed. This sophisticated hacker was deep in the web, and even enlisted help from the criminal hacker community to avoid detection and deflect culpability – throwing many red herrings. But Chris kept mapping, learning from the misinformation as much as legitimate information, patiently laying in wait at his computer, until the hacker made a crucial mistake.
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Apr 4, 2022
Episode 12: Kevin McPherson on Short Stories from Sturgis
Kevin McPherson takes us to Sturgis, South Dakota (with stops in Daytona and Myrtle Beach) for the annual motorcycle rally and walks us through enforcement activities from his Harley Davidson days. “Wild” days indeed – he tells us of run-ins with a full spectrum of vendors and colorful characters hawking counterfeit Harley Davidson products. With the help of Homeland Security and Investigations, Kevin was able to seize thousands of products bearing the beloved brand’s trademarks, protecting the brand and consumers. Though a serious matter, these stories may, at certain times, make you laugh.
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Mar 7, 2022
Episode 11: John Zacharia on Counterfeit Pet Medications
Former Department of Justice prosecutor John Zacharia takes us through a case involving counterfeit pet flea and tick medications. Medications which ended up at a major U.S. retailer infiltrating a legitimate supply chain. These products included counterfeit and gray market medications where the labels and packaging had been counterfeited with the intent to deceive others into believing that the product was authorized for sale in the U.S. Cooperation is the key in this Brand Protection Story episode and vital to protecting the health and safety of our beloved pets.
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Feb 7, 2022
Episode 10: Wael Adhami and Roy Albiani on Counterfeit Medical Devices
Wael Adhami and Roy Albiani, both with Johnson & Johnson’s Global Brand Protection team, take us through the startling discovery of a counterfeit implantable medical device – a widely used topical absorbable hemostat which controls bleeding during surgery. The genuine of this product, SURGICEL, is estimated to have been used in 150 million surgical procedures worldwide. Wael and Roy reveal the initial discovery, followed by the launching of global investigations, and coordinated pursuits of those responsible for the crime, which included involvement of a network of distributors and gray market sources. Wael and Roy then share how this case has changed how they each approach protection of the Johnson and Johnson family of brands.
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Jan 3, 2022
Episode 9: Dave Lake on Counterfeit Coupons
Dave Lake, former Detective Sergeant for the Phoenix Police Department, who is also a businessman, recounts a story of a notorious counterfeiter of … coupons. The real facts prove as counter to a Hollywood comedy based on the case. As with many who enter the crime of counterfeiting, this criminal lived a lavish lifestyle but ended up ultimately paying the price. Though the true tragedy of this story is that the price will also be paid by U.S. consumers who can no longer rely on coupons to make ends meet.
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Dec 6, 2021
Episode 8: Chris Horne on Music Bootlegging
Chris Horne, former Detective for the London Metropolitan Police tells the story of a notorious music bootlegger who flaunted his crime selling unauthorized recordings under such labels as Criminal Records, Wanted Man and Fugitive. Jailed in the U.S., he continued his criminal enterprise and was ultimately arrested and prosecuted also in the UK. This story reminds IP owners of the need to follow trends to continue to diligently protect their brands as the marketplace for legitimate and illicit goods continue to shift and evolve.
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Nov 1, 2021
Episode 7: Bobby Sherman on Counterfeit Therapeutic Drugs
Undercover operative Bobby Sherman takes us through a counterfeit pharmaceutical story that crosses continents. The largest Class 1 recall of drugs in UK history. The fake therapeutic drugs, for cancer, high blood pressure, psychiatric disorders and other serious conditions, made it into the legitimate supply chain of healthcare facilities and pharmacies. By luring the counterfeiter to the U.S. through an appetite for luxury goods, Bobby secured the arrest and conviction of the manufacturer of the counterfeit drugs and obtained the crucial evidence for the conviction of the distributor in the United Kingdom Crown Court. Both criminals were sophisticated businessmen, living excessive, lavish lifestyles of greed without regard to the lives they put in jeopardy.
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Oct 4, 2021
Episode 6: Josh Mayers on the Sinovel Trade Secret Case
Ex FBI Case Agent Josh Mayers relays the story of a notorious trade secret theft case. The case took 7 years from discovery to conviction and spanned 3 continents. This theft was carried out by an insider, an employee acquired through a corporate acquisition, who was lured into stealing valuable software. The theft caused the company who owned those rights legitimately to lose billions of dollars and hundreds of jobs. This was the first time a Chinese corporation was convicted of a crime in the U.S. Courts. A word of caution should you be afraid of heights…if not, come climb a 280 foot wind turbine to investigate this IP crime.
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Sep 6, 2021
Episode 5: Sasha Lazarevich on the L.A. Toy District
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office houses the unique “Intellectual Property Prosecution Section.” This section is responsible for prosecuting IP crimes both civilly and criminally for the second most populous city in the U.S. Deputy City Attorney Sasha Lazarevich handles all criminal prosecutions for this section. In this episode she walks us through two cases involving the L.A. toy district, in which sellers sold dangerous and hazardous counterfeit toys ultimately intended for children. Sasha explains the complexities of bringing these cases and her office’s dedication to keep its citizens safe through unique approaches in IP enforcement and prosecution.
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Aug 2, 2021
Episode 4: Hernan Albamonte On Guerra Contraband Cigarette Case
Tobacco industry executive Hernan Albamonte takes us through the 2020 “Guerra Contraband Cigarettes” case – the largest seizure of tobacco products in U.S. history. Here he introduces us to a unique brand protection challenge, that of “illicit “whites” which are cigarettes that have no branding or are off-branded. Hernan also addresses other complications in enforcement caused by loopholes and the unintended issues with free trade zones; and finally Hernan answers why we should care about tobacco, speaking to the underground criminal networks that use high demand products as illegal currency to fund their operations.
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Jul 5, 2021
Episode 3: Rod Kinghorn on Operation Partsman
Rod Kinghorn, a proud Spartan and icon in the brand protection world, takes us through “Operation Partsman” – the largest non-drug seizure in FBI history. The operation spanned three years and involved coast–to-coast investigations, including a sting operation in which the Feds set-up an auto parts business as a front. This operation successfully resulted in the removal of tens of thousands of dangerous counterfeit auto parts.
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Jun 3, 2021
Episode 2: Andrew Love on the Federal Helmet Case
Andrew Love, the “Dog the Bounty Hunter” of the bicycling world, takes us through the Federal Helmet Case - a precedent setting counterfeiting case prosecuted by the Kentucky Assistant US Attorney’s office through coordination of the National Intellectual Property Rights Center. This eBay counterfeit seller put hundreds of cyclists’ lives at risk, many of whom Andrew reached out personally to warn. The investigation on this case started rolling when Andrew identified counterfeit Specialized helmets while on his “patrol routes” online seeking out criminals and protecting consumers.
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Apr 26, 2021
Episode 1: Special Agent Brad Greenberg on the Yao Bao Case
In the inaugural episode of the A-CAPP Center's Brand Protection Stories podcast, Special Agent Brad Greenberg takes us through the Yao Bao case, a complicated story of converging crimes including counterfeiting, illicit drugs and attempts to purchase U.S. military hardware. This story involved a three-year journey that included investigations and enforcement by U.S. Homeland Security and Investigations, FBI, New Jersey Assistant U.S. Attorney, Interpol, Europol, Mexican, German authorities and Filipino authorities. How did this begin to unravel for the criminal rings? A call for cable installation in a refrigerated storage unit.
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