OtterBox clamps down on counterfeit phone cases

Rugged phone case maker OtterBox has chalked up a victory in its ongoing fight against counterfeiters with the help of police in Ireland.

Working with national police and security service An Garda Síochána, the company carried out an enforcement operation against eight stores in the Dublin area in mid-July – all part of a chain of "well-known tech stores" – and seized over 6,000 suspected counterfeit OtterBox cases with a retail value of almost €184,000 (nearly $200,000). The cases are now subject to inspection and an ongoing investigation being carried out by Gardaí.

The US-based company has built a strong reputation making protective cases for the leading brands of smartphones and tablets, which it says has made it the number one smartphone case brand in the market. Just last year, it set up a new business unit focused exclusively on serving global business customers to support what it has described as a "significant increase" in demand among commercial enterprises.

Its success has of course made it a target for counterfeiters, and OtterBox has been battling against knock-offs for well over a decade, through enforcement actions as well as efforts to reduce demand for fakes by educating consumers that while they may be cheap they are poorly made and may not protect a phone in the event of a drop or knock.

Last year, it filed a lawsuit targeting third-party sellers on Amazon Marketplace claiming they had been selling fake cases that illegally bear OtterBox trademarks.

"It's no surprise that there are those who wish to gain from OtterBox's reputation through nefarious means and we've recently become aware of an increase in counterfeit OtterBox products in the market," said the company in a statement.

Chief executive Barrie Collins said: "We would like to extend our sincere thanks to An Garda Síochána, its response teams and local units, in this matter. We know for sure that without their support, the removal of these counterfeit cases from circulation would not have been possible."

Intellectual property crime is estimated to cost the EU economy over €85bn per year and can pose serious risks to public health, safety and job security.