Spanish market · 05
Brand protection and counterfeits in Spain
A sports brand with visibility in Spain attracts counterfeiting immediately. Effective protection combines three fronts: detection in the physical channel, surveillance of the digital channel, and coordinated action with the competent authorities.
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Why does counterfeiting hit sports product particularly hard?
Because a football shirt is a seasonal, highly visible product with a high price relative to its manufacturing cost. A technical sponsorship that generates awareness without counterfeit control transfers part of that demand to the fake product, and does so in the very season the brand has invested in.
How is counterfeit product detected?
On two distinct planes, with distinct methods.
Physical channel
Inspection of retail outlets, markets and wholesale distribution, identifying the product and tracing its origin.
Digital channel
Surveillance of marketplaces, social platforms and online stores, including listings that avoid the brand name in the text.
Grey market
Genuine product sold outside the authorised channel or intended territory. It is not counterfeiting, but it damages pricing and the relationship with the legitimate channel.
Traceability
Isolated detection is worth little. What produces results is identifying the supply pattern behind several outlets.
What happens once it is detected?
The effective route in Spain combines administrative and judicial action, and requires the trademark holder to provide documentary evidence of its rights and an expert assessment of the product. Altrian Global Sports has established working relationships with the Spanish National Police and experience of judicial proceedings arising from seizures.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Who can report counterfeiting of a sports brand in Spain?
The trademark holder or a party able to evidence sufficient authority. In practice, action requires industrial property titles and an expert assessment identifying the product as non-genuine.
Is selling genuine product outside the authorised channel illegal?
Not necessarily. The grey market involves genuine product sold outside the intended channel or territory, and is addressed contractually and through distribution control rather than through counterfeiting law.
Is it worth pursuing counterfeits for a smaller brand?
Yes, and particularly at the moment the brand gains visibility. Counterfeiting appears where demand exists, so it tends to coincide with the first significant sponsorship deal — precisely when the brand can least afford to lose that demand.
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