Heard in the Channel: 5 Tips for Reporting Counterfeits

Professionals using electrical products in the field and on the plant floor recognize the growing prevalence of counterfeit electrical products, but they don’t know where to report such incidences, according to a recent survey by power management company Eaton and industry trade group IEC (Independent Electrical Contractors). As a result, Eaton published a set of tips for reporting counterfeit electrical products:  

• Contact brand owner. If a product is believed to be counterfeit, it is recommended to contact the brand owner. This will allow authentication of the concerning product and ensure that the potentially hazardous product is removed from the market place. Contact Eaton at [email protected].
• Provide as much information as possible. The more information a brand has, the better chance it can find similar products and remove them from the marketplace to protect consumers. This includes:
  • Name, business name, address, domain name, and any other identifiers of vendor
  • Description of commodity, including explanation on why it is suspected to be counterfeit
• Set up reporting process. To protect yourself, your employees, and your work environment, it is beneficial to establish a company-wide process for reporting counterfeit electrical products. This provides a collaborative outlet for alerting fellow workers and protecting your property.
• Default to International Property Rights (IPR) Center. If you cannot find brand contact information, don’t stop there. You can always contact the IPR Center, which will disseminate the information for appropriate response. Contact the IPR Center at [email protected] or 1-866-IPR-2060.
• Buy Authentic. The best way to avoid counterfeit electrical products in the first place is to purchase products from the manufacturer’s authorized distributors or resellers. There is a higher risk of counterfeits if one cannot trace the path of commerce to the original manufacturer.

“Stopping the sale of counterfeit products benefits everyone, which is why it’s important for industry professionals to report suspect products, ultimately inhibiting potentially dangerous components from being sold,” said Tom Grace, brand protection manager, Eaton’s Electrical Sector Americas. “It is crucial to work together to prevent these unsafe counterfeit products from causing harm to people and property.”

For more information, visit Eaton’s site at www.eaton.com/counterfeit.

In other industry news:

• The TTI Marketing team received multiple industry awards from the Electronics Components Industry Association (ECIA) at its Executive Conference in October. The awards recognized industry branding and marketing campaigns. TTI took top honors in three of the co-op marketing categories: Best Co-Op Marketing for its TE Fix it Fast campaign; Best Integrated Marketing for its TTI Bourns Bowl campaign; and Best Sales Tools—Channel Partner Engagement Program for its Panasonic Join the Association campaign. The distributor also won a People’s Choice Award for Best Brand/Image Digital for its Specialist Digital Comic Series.
• TTI also announced that its Vice President Total Quality, Kevin Sink, received an ECIA Distinguished Service Award.
• European electronics distributor Conrad opened its extended logistics centre facilities in November. The German distributor stocks more than 600,000 items and supplies customers throughout Europe.

• Digi-Key Corp. announce a successful Electronica 2014, noting that booth attendance more than doubled compared to previous events. The distributor also said it gave away more than 12,000 footballs and awarded one lucky attendee a 2014 Tesla Model S.

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