YKK’S ANTI-COUNTERFEITING MEASURES

Risks associated with purchasing and using counterfeit products

Counterfeit products cause significant harm to both customers and consumers.

  1. 1Counterfeit products may fail to meet specified performance standards, potentially damaging users' health
  2. 2Counterfeit products are often of poor quality, and damage or defects can tarnish the customer’s brand image
  3. 3Opportunities to sell authentic YKK products will be lost, detrimental effects on healthy trading markets
  4. 4Funding sources for antisocial forces
  5. 5Shoddy manufacturing of counterfeit products, environmental issues arising from disposal

Impact on health and safety

Counterfeit products may contain hazardous materials, and the risks to human health cannot be ignored.

  • We have identified instances where products do not meet standards such as REACH regulations in Europe and the CPSIA in the U.S.A.
  • As a result, this could cause serious problems for consumers, genuine product manufacturers, and other businesses.

Request for customers

Please be sure to purchase genuine YKK products through authorized channels.

Goals of our brand protection activities

Protecting customers

By preventing the circulation of poor-quality counterfeit products, we safeguard customers’ brands and trust from consumers.

Protection of intellectual property, including brands

We will prevent counterfeit products from damaging the value of customers’ brands, as well as that of YKK’s brand.

YKK’s anti-counterfeit initiatives

Our activities are composed of the five pillars below.

  1. 1Administrative and legal response

    We collaborate with administrative bodies such as customs authorities to halt the distribution of counterfeit products and expose such activities, taking legal action–including litigation–where necessary.

  2. 2Market research

    We conduct market research across the globe, and swiftly translate the insights gained into effective countermeasures.

  3. 3Internet monitoring

    We continuously monitor e-commerce sites and social media to detect and eliminate unauthorized use of trademarks and counterfeit product sales.

  4. 4Collaboration with customers

    We collaborate with client companies and partners to conduct workshops, as well as joint investigations and enforcement actions. We share information on counterfeit products and respond to inquiries from consumers.

  5. 5Awareness raising activities

    Through employee training, information dissemination at exhibitions, and participation in external campaigns, we convey the risks of counterfeiting and the importance of brand protection to a wide audience.

Through these sorts of initiatives, YKK aims to eliminate counterfeit products and create an environment where customers all over the world can use authentic YKK products with peace of mind.

Brand Protection Partnership

The problem of counterfeit goods cannot be solved only by stopping YKK® counterfeits. Knowing this, in 2012 we launched the Brand Protection Partnership (B.P.P.) initiative in order to promote information sharing among a large number of companies and groups, beginning with YKK's customers and suppliers.
Below are some examples of our initiatives.

  • *"B.P.P." is registered trademark of YKK CORPORATION in Japan and other countries/regions.

B.P.P.® Workshops

B.P.P.® workshops, which started in 2012, are an initiative to eliminate counterfeit products and ensure the distribution of authentic YKK products in collaboration with companies, government agencies, and experts both within and outside the industry. At the workshops, specific anti-counterfeit measures and the latest insights are shared, with all participants collectively exploring effective countermeasures. More than 49 workshops have been held up to this point, with over 4,500 participants.

Discussions

We regularly hold discussions with customers and industry stakeholders to share challenges encountered on the ground, as well as the latest information on counterfeit products.

Global initiatives

The issue of counterfeit products will spread across borders. Through injunctions at customs points, joint seminars, and cooperation with overseas authorities, YKK is actively promoting the elimination of counterfeit products worldwide.

Collaboration with other organizations

IIPPF

We are working on anti-counterfeit initiatives in collaboration with various administrative authorities and organizations, including the Japan Patent Office, Japan Customs, and the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum (IIPPF).

Japan Patent Office: https://www.jpo.go.jp/news/kokusai/mohohin/campaign/kawanzo/
Japan Customs: https://www.customs.go.jp/mizugiwa/chiteki/pages/d_010/index.html

Intellectual Property Awareness Activities in Collaboration With the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum

Event for Generation Z to raise awareness about intellectual property

In November 2024, an intellectual property awareness event for Generation Z was held, organized by the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum (IIPPF). Entitled “The Frontline of Global Counterfeit Measures! – A Better Society Through Intellectual Property,” the event used presentations, panel discussions, and exhibitions to educate attendees about global trends in counterfeit products, the measures companies are taking in response, and the benefits of authentic products versus the dangers of counterfeit products. YKK, a member of the IIPPF, also took the stage.

  1. HOME
  2. ABOUT YKK
  3. BRAND PROTECTION
  4. YKK’S ANTI-COUNTERFEITING MEASURES