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Showing the flag in the battle with brand and product piracy

Sennheiser is working actively to combat brand and product counterfeiters. This is not just in the interest of our customers, who rely on the top quality and service they expect from Sennheiser – it also protects our company, our brand, our workers and their jobs.

Sennheiser protects its products with specific security labels. With the beginning of 2018 these security labels have undergone an update matching Sennheiser’s recent Corporate Design.

Brand and product piracy is a problem that demands to be taken seriously. Product imitations may be similar to the original at first glance, but actually having nothing at all in common with it. The materials used, the durability and the sound properties of the copy are very much inferior to Sennheiser standards. The counterfeits are of poor quality, or do not function at all. The dealers rarely offer any guarantee, so there is no recourse for the disillusioned customer.

Counterfeit brand products do not just exasperate customers – they also damage the Sennheiser brand and the industry as a whole, and result in the loss of jobs. This is why we are doing all we can to protect you from counterfeits. Only the purchase of a genuine product will ensure that you get the good quality you desire.

So it is important to us to have a comprehensive defensive strategy in place. One aim of this is to strengthen awareness of the value of original technology on the international markets.

Sennheiser is a member of APM – Aktionskreis gegen Produkt- und Markenpiraterie e.V. (Action Group Against Product and Brand Piracy, Registered Association). This organisation works to protect intellectual property rights, encouraging companies to share their experiences and fostering communication between industry and the politicians.

Sennheiser protects its customers

In Sennheiser’s eyes, protecting its customers against counterfeits is a serious concern. Brand protection means customer protection. In order to protect you against brand imitations, here are a few practical tips which we hope you may find useful:

 

How can I detect counterfeit products?

• You are advised to be on your guard if Sennheiser products are offered at exceptionally low prices.
• Only buy from dealers in whom you have confidence. Further down this page you can find a list of dealers on our authorised Sennheiser network.
• When it comes to online auctions you have little chance of testing the credentials of a dealer. If you acquire a counterfeit product online, you may find there is no recourse – as likely as not, because the brand pirates have already deleted the page where you found it.
• Online dealers who offer products without any instruction manual or the like may be viewed as suspect.
• Unprofessionally packaged products are a strong indication of counterfeiting.
• Cheap or damaged packaging, bizarre labelling or incorrect spelling are further indicators of product piracy.
• If you suspect a counterfeit or think an online sales channel may be unauthorised, we would advise caution and recommend that before purchasing you find out all you can about the identity of the dealer, the origin of the product and the terms of delivery.

 

How can I avoid purchasing a counterfeit?

When purchasing Sennheiser equipment, we would advise you as a matter of urgency always to go through an authorised dealer from the Sennheiser network. This way you can be sure as a customer that you will be getting a top-quality original article, backed up by full customer service.

For the most part, counterfeit Sennheiser products are offered for sale at internet auctions or on specially created webpages. We are working actively to live up to the quality standards we set for ourselves, and to give our customers the Sennheiser quality to which they are accustomed. We therefore aim to publish the names of such websites in future on a Black List.

 

Safety risks with counterfeit products

People often go to great lengths to imitate the packaging and product design of Sennheiser equipment. So it may be difficult to detect a counterfeit at first glance. The purchase of counterfeit products can involve various risks and disadvantages. For example, the product may come with non-matching accessories or with none at all, there may be no German instruction manual or the plugs may be incompatible with standard fittings in the country of purchase.

 

Guarantees and warranty

If you have nonetheless been unlucky enough to acquire a counterfeit, you should ask the vendor to reimburse the purchase price. A counterfeit product is only pretending to have been made by Sennheiser, so in purchasing it you are not acquiring the quality for which Sennheiser is noted. Naturally we offer no guarantees or service in connection with product imitations, nor do they come under statutory warranty.

Product privacy news forum

Counterfeits are immensely detrimental to the market and to the competitiveness of our industry and our company. Sennheiser will therefore take legal action against patent and trademark as well as design patent infringements. In conjunction with government authorities, we also organise investigations against suspect commercial outlets and production sites.

You can keep up with the latest developments by viewing these trendsetting media reports, to be found in our press section.