Product and brand piracy - a serious threat to the economy and consumers

Product and brand piracy is a lucrative business worth billions. It is proven that increasingly extremely low-quality counterfeits are being offered, that pose enormous safety risks. Clearly, plagiarisms and counterfeits are neither a compliment nor harmless trivialities. They are ruthless, destroy jobs and mean stagnation instead of diversity and progress. The damage caused by counterfeits to buyers and innovative manufacturers is massive. The explosive spread of product and brand piracy is encouraged by globalisation, online trade & digital communication - and by the specific demand of gullible (online) bargain hunters. Fact is, counterfeits are the opposite of a status symbol. It is the (personal) responsibility of every consumer to consciously and enthusiastically choose the original and thus deprive the counterfeiters of their basis for business.

Negative Award "Plagiarius":

Against brazen innovation theft - For creative diversity & fair Competition

Since 1977, the "Plagiarius" negative prize has been awarded annually at the Frankfurt "Ambiente" trade fair to manufacturers and dealers of particularly brazen plagiarisms and counterfeits. The award says nothing about whether a counterfeit product is legally permitted or illegal.

The aim of the Plagiarius campaign is to protect the innovative strength and intellectual property of companies and creatives. To this end, it raises public awareness of the unscrupulous business methods of counterfeiters and sensitises industry, politics and consumers to the problem in a practical way.

Trophy: A black dwarf with a golden nose - symbol of the immense profits that unimaginative imitators literally earn at the expense of creative people and industry.

The Museum Plagiarius in Solingen shows more than 350 Plagiarius award winners from a wide range of industries - in each case the original and the plagiarism in direct comparison.

Counterfeits mean standstill - the original stands for diversity and progress!

www.plagiarius.com
www.linkedin.com/company/aktion-plagiarius-innovation-vs-imitation

1. Prize - Bottle Set for Newborns “Philips Avent Natural Response“
Left Originals: Koninklijke Philips N.V., Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Right Counterfeits: Dongyang Onibebi Plastic Products Factory, Zhejiang, PR China
Seized: During raid actions in Latin America, Nigeria, Southeast Asia
Distribution: via Social Media (e.g. Facebook) and online platforms

AVENT (original) vs. AVEAT (counterfeit). Safety is the top priority, especially when it comes to products for newborns. Philips AVENT bottles are made of BPA-free plastic and are odourless and tasteless. The set is ideal for a smooth transition between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. The misleading AVEAT counterfeits were manufactured in China and sold online, via social media and locally in Latin America, Nigeria and Southeast Asia. According to the packaging, they are also BPA-free. The extremely low price - one fifth of the original - and photos from the counterfeiters' “factories” raise doubts about the quality and suitability of the plastic, especially for baby products. Hygienic conditions? More than questionable! Quality and safety controls? Nonexistent! Following a raid and seizure at Onibebi, a court ordered the company to cease and desist and to pay damages. Philips consistently holds counterfeiters accountable - also to protect (the youngest) consumers.

2. Prize - Basin Mixer “AXOR MyEdition“
Left Original: Hansgrohe SE, Schiltach, Germany
Right Counterfeit: Chinese counterfeiting network – 3 people in custody, Kaiping / Guangdong, PR China
Distribution: via various online shops, e.g. on taobao.com

Nowadays, counterfeiters operate professionally. Production is divided up among different parties. Their business is illegal. Tracking down such complex criminal networks costs brand manufacturers a lot of money. After months of research, and in cooperation with the local Kaiping PSB Public Security Bureau, Hansgrohe was able to break up a large Chinese counterfeiting network in a raid. In addition to Hansgrohe's protected designs, the internationally renowned brands “hansgrohe“ and “AXOR“, which are also registered in China, were copied. The counterfeits were advertised online, including on taobao.com, with original photos and offered at ridiculously low prices. The materials and workmanship of the counterfeits are correspondingly inferior. A major success: Three key figures in the network were arrested and are currently being prosecuted. The long-established company Hansgrohe SE stands for timeless, durable design and pioneering, innovative and sustainable technologies. With its design brand “AXOR”, Hansgrohe SE inspires architects and bathroom designers alike.

3. Prize - Stapelliege Klassik (Design: Rolf Heide, 1966)
Above Original: Müller Möbelwerkstätten GmbH, Bockhorn, Germany
(Exclusive worldwide right to manufacture, distribute and market the Stapelliege)
Below Plagiarism: Distribution: La Redoute S.A.S., Roubaix, France

The STAPELLIEGE - a design classic by Rolf Heide from 1966 - not only impresses with its timeless design and high flexibility, but also scores for its intelligent construction and easy assembly and disassembly. Whether as a sofa, a stacked children's bed, a double bed or a flexible guest bed: It is a space-saving all-rounder. Müller Möbelwerkstätten has the exclusive worldwide right to manufacture and distribute it. The cheap imitation by La Redoute costs a fifth of the price of the original frame, including the ‘slatted frame’, which consists of simple boards that are too far apart. Customers reject the imitation as “cheaply made, poorly crafted and unstable”. The overall aesthetic impression of both stack beds is identical: The knock-off has adopted all the distinctive formal and functional design features of the original, in particular the sweeping curves of the side panels, which enable the bed to be stacked. This makes the poor fit of the knock-off all the more alarming.

Special Award “Plagiarisms-Tsunami” - Cutlery Sets “KLIKK“ and “KLIKK POCKET“
In front Originals: koziol »ideas for friends GmbH, Erbach, Germany
Plagiarisms (in wave): Distribution: Via alibaba.com
Operator: ALIBABA.com Singapore E-Commerce Private Limited, Singapore
Retail: Countless Chinese manufacturers and trade companies

Like a tsunami wave, cheap knock-offs are flooding the successful cutlery sets “KLIKK“ and “KLIKK Pocket“ from Koziol. The original cutlery sets are compact, robust and manufactured by Koziol in Erbach/Odenwald. The material is dishwasher-safe, food-safe and 100% recyclable. Since its market launch, the cutlery sets have been copied countless times and uncounted imitators and online retailers have been warned. Particularly unreasonable: The platform operator Alibaba.com: After being notified of EU-wide design protection, infringing offers are removed, but they are not actively and automatically prevented by AI. Despite weekly ‘notice and take-down’ of countless plagiarisms by Koziol, retailers are allowed to repeatedly list the same plagiarisms with the same advertising texts and photos without any problems. This shows the lack of interest and of willingness to engage in prevention on the part of Alibaba. The unstable, cheap knockoffs are 80 to 95% below the original price. Whether they comply with European regulations in terms of materials and safety is highly questionable.

Special Award “Fake-Shop” - Website “www.germens.shop“
Left Original-Shop: GERMENS artfashion Markeking GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany
Right Fake-Shop: www.jeffkelleher.shop / www.noemibishop.shop
Operator: Unable to be determined - Shops deleted after months of operation

A “fake shop” is a completely counterfeit online shop. The operators lure customers with cheap offers, collect money, but do not deliver any goods. Consumers are increasingly falling victim to this scam. The shops are professionally designed and look deceptively real. Recently affected: The Germens shop. GERMENS shirts are known for their high-quality fabrics and unusual designs created by artists. From July to November 2025, two fake shops pretended to be “GERMENS”. Logo, texts and product photos were copied. The products were offered at dumping prices below the manufacturing costs. There was no legal notice, and the cancellation policy was illegal. Typically, there is often a selection of payment methods, but at the end of the order, only payment in advance is possible. Quality seals must be linked to the seal operator. At ‘verbraucherzentrale.de/fakeshopfinder’, consumers can check suspicious shops – and there are tips on how to recognise fake shops.

Distinction - (Light-) Switch Range “Busch-balance SI”
Above Originals: ABB AG - Busch-Jaeger, Luedenscheid, Germany
Below Plagiarisms: Handelshaus Klein GmbH, Trostberg, Germany

The “resemblance” to the Busch-Jaeger original is clearly intentional. Not only are the design and technical details of the “Busch-balance SI” series almost identical, but the imitation is also advertised with “The BBwhite switch range, matching Busch-Jäger Balance Si [sic] in Alpine White RAL9010, offers a cost-effective option”. Busch-Jaeger is taking legal action against this. Furthermore, Handelshaus Klein emphasizes in its description of its imitation that “the convex surface allows for unique design accents.” In fact, at least the well-known original manufacturers all have their own unique designs. And anyone looking for a suitable switch range will quickly realise how diverse the selection is and how different the ambience that switches can give to a room can be.

Distinction - Replacement Razor Blades “Philips OneBlade”
Left Original: Koninklijke Philips N.V., Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Right Plagiarism: KionCare, Zhejiang, PR China
Distribution: Worldwide via TEMU (and others)

Just like toothbrush heads or printer cartridges, replacement razor blades have to be bought every few weeks. They always seem too expensive. This makes such products a target for counterfeiters. A report by the European Anti-Fraud Office shows that quality and safety come at a price: In 2024, over 900,000 counterfeit razor blades that did not meet EU safety standards and therefore posed a risk of injury were seized in the EU alone. Customer reviews of the KionCare plagiarisms are also devastating: “Useless, blunt, cause skin irritation, tear hair, incompatible”. The suppliers of such counterfeits often have neither an imprint nor information on cancellation conditions, etc. Philips protects all its products through registered trademarks, designs and patents, regularly conducts on-site raids and holds (online) counterfeiters worldwide accountable.

Distinction - Champagne Glasses “CHEERS“ (with print)
Above Originals: koziol »ideas for friends GmbH, Erbach, Germany
Below Plagiarisms: Distribution: NORMA Lebensmittelfilialbetrieb Stiftung & Co. KG, Nuremberg, Germany
Manufacture: Spain

Broken glass does not always bring good luck. For outdoor events, in clubs, on the beach or on a boat, a stylish but more durable glass is preferable. The “CHEERS” champagne glasses from Koziol, made from thermoplastic, are such all-rounders: Extremely durable and virtually unbreakable, 100% recyclable - and the high-quality material insulates 4x better than glass. This also convinced NORMA in 2021. These five printed Koziol champagne glasses were successfully sold for weeks. A renewed offer in 2023 was rejected on the grounds that “the price was not suitable”. An offer in 2025 was not even answered. Instead, there was a surprise: From 8 December 2025, NORMA offered five visually very similar imitations from Spain with exactly the same slogans - for less than a third of the original price: Euro 3.99 for two champagne glasses instead of Euro 6.95 for one champagne glass. However, these were now unstable, made of the cheapest plastic and non-recyclable.

Distinction - Cookie Former “F450“
Left Original: Niederrheinische Formenfabrik Janssen GmbH, Krefeld, Germany
Right Plagiarism: TMAK GIDA MAKINELERI A.S., Istanbul, Turkey

Blatant theft of technology and design, the latter poorly concealed by a sheet metal cover. The multi-award-winning cookie former “F450“consists of numerous individual technical components whose functionality, structure and geometry were developed individually by Janssen and are protected by design rights and patents. The Turkish manufacturer TMAK has unabashedly copied more than 25 of these individual technical components, making them visually identical. And although the plagiarised product is still more expensive than the original despite a 24.61% discount, it showed serious shortcomings and functional failures during a live presentation at iba 2025 (international bakery exhibition). More appearance than substance. Appearance can be copied - know-how and experience cannot. Founded in 1872, Janssen successfully combines traditional craftsmanship with modern production: The result are innovative, powerful and durable cookie formers “made in Germany”.

Distinction - Thermochromic rollerball pen “PILOT FriXion Ball” (with erasable ink)
Left Original: PILOT Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
Right Counterfeit: Distribution: Alix Industrial Co., Ltd., Shanghai, PR China

“PILOT FriXion“ pens are the original when it comes to erasable rollerball pens, fineliners and highlighters. The innovative FriXion series was developed by renowned Japanese writing instrument manufacturer PILOT Corporation. The pens, which are available in many colours, use unique thermosensitive ink that changes with temperature. Each FriXion pen has an eraser ball that generates heat through friction, such that the ink becomes transparent and mistakes can be easily erased. The best-selling series is protected worldwide by registered trademarks (FriXion), designs and patents. The Alix company is a repeat offender. Pens that infringe PILOT-designs were confiscated at trade fairs in 2020. In the current case, not only the design but also the word and figurative mark “FriXion” was copied - Alix is presenting itself as an authorised dealer, so to speak. The cheaply made counterfeit was confiscated at the “Ambiente 2025” trade fair.

Aktion Plagiarius e.V.
Nersinger Straße 18
D-89275 Elchingen
Tel: +49 (0) 7308 / 922 422
info@plagiarius.com
www.plagiarius.com