Source investigations
The people and premises behind counterfeit supply, identified and evidenced, with an enforcement plan you can act on.
Tracing counterfeit supply back to the manufacturers, printers, packers and warehouses.
Removing fakes from shelves treats the symptom. The source is a unit that manufactures, prints, packs or stores the product, and the network that distributes it. Until the source is found, the market refills.
Starting from confirmed fakes, we trace supply backwards from retailer to wholesaler, stockist and transporter. Manufacturers, printers, packers and warehouses are identified through discreet source enquiries, lawful surveillance and open-source research. Each link is documented.
The output is an evidence pack for each target and an enforcement plan that sets out the best route: a police raid, a civil action with a local commissioner, or both. Findings are recorded so that repeat offenders can be linked across cases.
Fakes are confirmed, and you need the people and premises behind them.
Signs we see most often
- 01Market surveys have confirmed fakes, but you do not know who makes them.
- 02Seizures at retail have not reduced supply.
- 03Counterfeit packaging or labels appear to come from a specialist printer.
- 04Fakes appear in several cities at once, suggesting a common supplier.
- 05You plan a raid and need verified targets.
Scoped in writing, run by one accountable team.
Every engagement starts with agreed questions, a reporting line and a confidentiality protocol. The steps below are how this service usually runs; we adapt them to your matter.
- 01StartBegin from confirmed fakes and the retailers who sell them.
- 02TraceFollow supply to wholesalers, stockists and transporters.
- 03IdentifyLocate manufacturers, printers, packers and warehouses.
- 04VerifyConfirm activity through lawful surveillance and discreet enquiries.
- 05DocumentBuild an evidence pack for each target.
- 06PlanRecommend the enforcement route and timing with counsel.
Identified sources and an actionable enforcement plan.
- Identified sources, with premises and the people involved
- Supply-chain maps from source to retail
- An evidence pack for each target
- A recommended enforcement route for each target
The law and frameworks this work is aligned to
- Trade Marks Act, 1999 ss.103, 104 and 115
- Copyright Act, 1957 ss.63 and 64
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 search and seizure provisions
- Aligned to ISO 22380 on product fraud countermeasures
References show the standard the work is built to. They do not imply accreditation or endorsement by the bodies that publish them.
This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.
Talk to a BDI partnerWhere this service meets BDI's technology.
The platforms below record, monitor or act on the work this service produces.
Questions clients ask before we start.
Is surveillance legal?
Observation from public places, lawful enquiries and open-source research are lawful when they are proportionate. We do not trespass, intercept communications or use pretexting.
What happens once the source is identified?
We agree the route with your counsel: a police raid under criminal law, a civil suit with a local commissioner to seize goods, or both. Raid and enforcement support follows.
Can you link sources across cities?
Yes. Findings from each investigation are recorded so that shared suppliers, printers or transporters can be connected across cases.