Private Investigation Case Study: Trademark Infringement

Situation – one of the oldest and one of the most successful IP law firms in Canada, contacted us to receive a quote for an investigation of their client’s trademark infringement by a local retail store. We were mandated to attend the store and make a purchase of the merchandise in question.

Action – Before venturing off into the field, we conducted a preliminary investigation on the store, its owners, location, social media accounts, etc.

Although some of the merchandise was advertised on social media, the items that were infringing on the client’s trademark could not be found online. However, after browsing social media accounts we understood some of the mechanisms that this retailer used to procure their merchandise and the countries that they potentially dealt with.

When we attended the store and made a purchase, we observed several other brands that seemed to be out of place and were most likely sold without proper procurement. We also took a video of the store employee who turned out to be the owner and collected proof of purchase.

Results – We provided the law firm with a detailed report featuring a description of our activities along with pictures of obtained evidence, fedexed merchandise to their office, and a few days later received an email thanking us for great service and report.

MADPI GLOBAL works with hundreds of large and small law firms from around the world providing IP investigation services, litigation support, and dealing with various legal issues in commercial, labor, and family law.