GBRacing Continues Fight Against Fake Products

As World Anti-Counterfeiting Day approaches on June 8, and with a recent increase in morally bankrupt vendors cashing in on the hard work and successes of numerous British engineering and manufacturing businesses, GBRacing stands with those affected and applauds GACG (Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group) for its work against the copyright criminals.

With first-hand, ongoing experience of the problem, GBRacing has invested heavily, both financially and in man hours, to take the fight to the fraudsters and to protect both GBRacing as a business and to support its longstanding network of loyal dealers.

Keeping the public informed and warned of the downfalls of cheap counterfeit products through social media and through supportive media outlets such as Motorcycle News has helped potential buyers make informed choices, but the problem still exists, and has been growing in unison with the GBRacing product range.

Graham Banks, GBRacing Founder and Managing Director:

"Without a doubt counterfeit goods are a huge challenge this year. It doesn’t just affect us as an engineering company, but our entire dealership network and our loyal customers. Whilst they may look the same, the counterfeits are made from significantly inferior material that simply will not stand up in the event of a crash. Be it a high-side, where all the force will be transferred into the engine, potentially causing cracks on impact, or a low side, where the road surface will wear through the counterfeit cover in a matter of milliseconds."

GBRacing commissioned IP and copyright specialists, Corsearch, to investigate bogus online retailers. In just six months, thousands of counterfeit GBRacing listings were reported worldwide and quickly removed. Thanks to the proactive approach of this partnership, Corsearch has acheived an impressive success rate just short of 90%.

While this success is welcome, it comes at a cost. As a business, calculating what are likely to be sizable losses through lost sales is an impossible task, but when it comes to the price of combating the problem, that's far more clear.

In 2023 GBRacing spent £29,709.69 on intellectual property protection through EUIPO and Corsearch plus additional external legal advice and support — perhaps the most extreme case being opening a court case in Indonesia to cancel a bad faith registration of the GBRacing mark before re-registering it correctly.

Tim Banks, Business Development Director:

"This year we are determined to turn the tide against the counterfeit products, and to do this we’ve called in the professionals. Corsearch, being an international IP specialist, is able to leverage its size, connections and expertise to remove listings on mass, at what feels like the click of a button. We are really pleased with the work they have been doing and will continue to do to clean up the market place. We are confident that we should all really start to feel the effects now. As well as Corsearch, we have to thank our customers: firstly for buying genuine GBRacing kit, but also for promoting the good name and quality of the GBRacing parts."

All GBRacing products are designed and made in the UK and are available to purchase direct from GBRacing or from its official dealers both in the UK and in 40 countries around the world.