Columbia Sportswear Company joined forces with local authorities in three simultaneous raids last week of Malaysian Factory Outlet Stores selling counterfeit Columbia Sportswear apparel. As part of an aggressive campaign to stamp out counterfeiters and protect its unique brand, the recent raids resulted in the seizure of more than 1,400 pieces of counterfeit shirts and pants using Columbia labels.
The raids took place at three separate Factory Outlet Stores in Kuala Lumpur. These stores, prevalent throughout Malaysia, have been known to purvey counterfeit high-end products for discounted prices.
“We continue to step up our efforts to dissuade counterfeiters from copying our products, and will continue to do more,” said Tim Boyle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Sportswear. “We've found that the increasing worldwide recognition of our brands requires us to be extremely aggressive toward counterfeiters. We ultimately want to protect our customers from being duped into buying inferior products.”
Due to the large number of counterfeit product found at the three stores, Columbia is working with local authorities to determine if criminal or civil sanctions may ensue.
Columbia employees, independent sales representatives and distributors around the world are trained to identify counterfeit products. From its headquarters in Portland, Columbia coordinates a multi-faceted, global, anti-counterfeiting program and initiates numerous operations each year.
