Hypertherm, a manufacturer of plasma, laser, and waterjet cutting systems, is pleased to announce the winning of five unique court cases against five Russian companies during the last few months.
All five companies were found guilty of violating Hypertherm’s trademark rights by importing a variety of counterfeit consumables and Powermax air plasma systems. As a result of the judgement against them, the defendants are prohibited from importing any products in Russia with the Hypertherm name, and are also required to reimburse Hypertherm for damages and court fees. Critical business challenges for any original equipment manufacturer (OEM) include quality control, efficiency levels, budgeting, and inventory management. However, with the advent of technology and globalization, modern OEMs are now faced with yet another area of concern – the proliferation of counterfeit. Counterfeits are products made in exact imitation of something valuable or important, with the intention to deceive or defraud a customer into thinking that the product is an original. Often the price is less than the original.
As counterfeits are usually close copies of the genuine product in appearance, at times, end users may actually be unaware of their counterfeit purchase, and are misled to think that they are getting a good bargain instead. Counterfeiting has evolved over the years, from being largely localized operations into highly profitable global businesses with mass production facilities, international sales, and complex global distribution networks. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the value of global counterfeit goods is expected to exceed USD 1.7 trillion by 2015.
Examples of protected Hypertherm trademarks include Hypertherm, Powermax, Hypertherm HPR, and ProNest. Hypertherm and their partners will continue their efforts to protect the market from counterfeit products and to eliminate counterfeit goods.
“Hypertherm devotes an enormous amount of resources to the development and engineering of technologically advanced cutting systems and consumables,” said Theo Cornielje, Regional Director Hypertherm Europe B.V. “We decided to pursue these legal actions because we are concerned about our customers and their business. These counterfeit consumables do not include the advanced manufacturing characteristics of genuine Hypertherm consumables and do not perform as well or last as long. As a result, our customers are paying more for an inferior product. We are pleased to see that our efforts are recognized by the legal system.”
