The prevalence of counterfeit product is a rapidly increasing problem around the world. Branded products are being copied, and replicas – often of poor quality – are being churned out of shadowy factories.

Counterfeit product is a big issue for suppliers and is also of growing concern to plumbing product specifiers and installers who, for their reputations’ sake, want to ensure they are installing the genuine article.

And with more work on big projects being handled remotely (designed in one country, constructed in another), the control of such issues is becoming more difficult.

WPR spoke to various industry associations and plumbing supplies companies in several countries. We also looked at some of the remedial actions being taken or planned, including those in relation to major industry exhibitions.

German Valve Manufacturers Association deputy managing director Boris Abadjieff says durable consumer goods such as taps and showers are at the forefront of product copying. However, counterfeiting has also become an issue for manufacturers of investment items such as machinery.

“We estimate that 80% of the illegal reproduction comes from China,” he says.

“Turnover of the German sanitary valve industry is about €2 billion (US$2.6 billion), and loss of turnover in the industry due to product piracy is about 3% depending on the product and the region. In addition, there is a loss of reputation and possible damage of the brand name – which you cannot calculate.

“In July 2004 our sanitary valve manufacturing members formed a coalition against product piracy to exchange information on counterfeiters and decide common strategies. Multiple manufacturers can often be affected by one counterfeiter.

“Provided that the member company has claimed the design patents for a certain sanitary valve in a specific market, if the company comes across a counterfeiter in Germany or abroad, there are different legal measures to prevent distribution of the product. Cooperation with customs can also result in confiscation of counterfeits.

“We also take action to inform the public about the dangers of counterfeited sanitary ware and seek to influence political decisions in Berlin or Brussels (European Commission), and sometimes also in China through our offices in Beijing and Shanghai.”

Dornbracht is a German manufacturer of premium bathroom fittings and accessories that has many problems with counterfeiters.

The company’s Alexander Wolf says for several years manufacturers around the world have adopted Dornbracht designs and sold the products at a lower price.

“Most of these plagiarisms are from Asia (especially China) and Italy, and at the ISH sanitary fair in 2005 we found 15 exhibitors that had Dornbracht copies,” he says.

“We lose 3–4% of our turnover per annum and could have 100 more employees if product copying was eliminated. What can we do about this situation?

“Our fittings and accessories carry worldwide design patents, so we have the chance to get an admission from suppliers of copied products. Mostly, we order them to cease marketing and selling the copies. If they don’t accept this we do not hesitate to go to court, where we have had some success in recent years.

“We also monitor the market every day for new copies. In the past it took two or three years for the first Dornbracht copy to come onto the market, but now we can identify the first plagiarism of our latest series within six months. In addition, we seek to raise public awareness of the counterfeiting problem.