Anti-counterfeiting service activated at Mido

For the fifteenth year, a service aimed at protecting exhibiting companies  

As in the past, MIDO battles against counterfeiting, one of the major problems of our times. The counterfeiting of fashion items, eyeglasses included, has reached staggering proportions and has a turnover that is difficult to estimate, but is without doubt enormous.

MIDO has always been attentive to the need to protect intellectual property and at this 40th edition it is again offering the Anti-counterfeiting Service that has been in operation for fifteen years now: the exhibition is a huge marketing opportunity for participating companies, but frequently it also attracts those who attempt to profit from this extraordinary showcase to promote fake products.

Daniela Mainini, the lawyer at the head of the Anti-counterfeiting Service, is at the exhibition and she answered our questions about the characteristics and aims of the service.

We all know that the counterfeiting of accessories - and sunglasses in particular - is a very widespread problem. Is there a formula that companies can adopt to prevent this?
If there were, it would already be in place and I would not be here for the fifteenth year running. However, it’s a good question and I would say that the formula is multifaceted: firstly, basic protection. Before the exhibition, companies must learn to properly protect their models, brands and patents. Secondly, special attention both inside and outside Mido must be given to counterfeiting, a phenomenon that is constantly changing because the thieves run very fast in this war against them. Companies must never end their battle against counterfeiting because they know there are the means which must be used in the proper way.

We know that, as well as being a problem for companies, fake eyeglasses can also cause health problems. Do you think this subject could be used as leverage to raise public awareness and convince people not to buy fakes?
First of all, let’s remember that Italy is the major consumer of counterfeit products. This means that mothers are the first to set a bad example. Irresponsible purchasing exists because counterfeiting has always been considered a lesser crime and at times these items are bought only for relaxation or amusement. Consumers don’t realize that they are doing something so harmful, even for their own health. Counterfeiting affects eyewear brands, patents and, above all, lenses which do not have the safety characteristics.

Why is there an Anti-counterfeiting Study Center (Centro Studi Anticontraffazione) at Mido? What does it do?
The Study Center began at Mido in 1995. It must be remembered that the legal protection available during the few days of the exhibition is frequently not used sufficiently by exhibitors. Companies have only three days to devote to business so they do not have enough time to protect themselves properly. This is why exhibitors need a fast response at the exhibition to stop the crime from being repeated. The service has been used extensively by exhibitors to their considerable satisfaction. Mido has the capacity to exclude unfair competitors who take advantage of the exhibition’s millions of visitors to distribute counterfeit products.