The officers of the IBMA have been monitoring discussions that are taking place outside of our organization, and we are observing and making note of suggestions (and also rhetoric) coming from other non-members in the industry. The leaders of the IBMA acknowledge that the issues around counterfeit goods and theft of intellectual property are important for our members and we are addressing it.

Our official review of this topic will take place at our semi-annual board meeting on April 13th in NYC.

To become more educated about the topic, and learn what steps can be taken now by manufacturers, please read the missive below that has been forwarded to us by a volunteer with expertise in this area.

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The Problem of Knockoff Sites

The Problem: Websites primarily based outside North America are promoting cheap wedding and formal dresses using product images stolen from the real designers’ or manufacturers’ websites.

The stolen images mislead consumers and can create reputation problems for legitimate designers, manufacturers and retailers. The situation is annoying for sure, and we can assume it has negative effects on sales, but there’s no consensus about whether the problem is a mountain or a molehill.

IBMA Focus

I would advocate that the IBMA and its members focus on one main response:

•   Take aim at the unauthorized use of product images.

It’s ironic, but pictures of dresses have much stronger copyright protection than the dresses themselves. Taking action against unauthorized use of product images is the shortest route to harm reduction, and it would have the major virtue of improving the situation BEFORE the bride spends her money.

The IBMA must choose its battles carefully. It’s reasonable to think in terms of harm reduction, but unrealistic to think that the problem can ever be solved completely. The aircraft industry hasn’t managed to stop the flow of counterfeit parts even though they’ve spent millions in the attempt.

File DMCA Complaints (Digital Millennium Copyright Act)

DMCA takedown notices can get images removed from websites, get pages with infringing material removed from the search engines, sometimes even get entire sites taken down.

DMCA complaints must be submitted by the copyright holder or authorized representative. In other words, it’s a job that manufacturers have to do for themselves. The representative doesn’t need to be a lawyer, but needs to be someone who knows the facts. In this case that would mean knowing the manufacturer’s picture stock really, really well.

Infringing sites tend to be hosted in places outside the reach of US law, but the search engines Google and Bing are US-based. They will respect valid DMCA takedown notices and de-index infringing material from their search results. There’s no fee to file a complaint. Infringers often start new websites, so ongoing vigilance is required.

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/dmca-notice

http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyrtinfrg.htm

Report Counterfeiters to Google AdWords

This action would cover different ground than DMCA takedowns: Google will kick proven counterfeiters out of Google AdWords (advertising) and cancel their accounts. Again, complaints must be filed by the trademark holder or authorized representative. Successful action by one manufacturer would not need to be repeated by others.

Note that “knockoff” and “counterfeit” are not the same thing, although we often use them interchangeably.

http://services.google.com/inquiry/aw_counterfeit

Monitor Infringements; Help Each Other Identify Infringers

In cyberspace it’s easier to detect stolen text than stolen images, so one big reason the infringers get away with what they’re doing is that they escape the notice of the copyright holders. IBMA members could help each other with detection, because when a site is spotted stealing images from one manufacturer it’s a good bet they’re stealing from others as well. People wouldn’t necessarily recognize when someone else’s images were being infringed, but they’d each recognize their own if they were alerted about where to look.

• Suggestion: Create a private information area on the IBMA website where manufacturers, retailers or others who discover infringing sites could list them for others to check. Provide traffic stats, too, to help people decide which sites should be their priorities for action. This area should be accessible to IBMA members but not to the public and absolutely not to search engines.

Manufacturers could take additional steps to protect their images such as blocking traffic to their websites from certain parts of the world, or white-listing spiders. IBMA couldn’t give technical specifics for such things, but could point webmasters in the right direction.

Educate Consumers? Maybe …

Education for consumers would need to be approached with extreme caution. Some general promotion about the wisdom of dealing with authorized vendors might be harmless, but not if any knockoff sites were named. For one thing it’s seldom smart to help the adversary with free publicity, and for another, it could create a major legal mess if someone took exception to how they were portrayed.

Just in the last few days I’ve seen lists of suspect sites posted and passed around online. This not only makes them more accessible for consumers, it will make the listed sites more credible with the search engines. Linking to the adversary is the wrong thing to do! A centralized list could be very useful (see above) but it would be smarter to treat it as a private resource, not parade it around in public.

Final Thought

The present infringement situation is rooted in the fact that some cultures (and their laws) don’t have the same concept of intellectual property or copyrights that North Americans count on. That’s not something the IBMA can do much about, but it would be good to keep an eye on legislative activity in other countries. The day will come when international laws about intellectual property are more consistent.

That still won’t mean smooth sailing, though. It’s a certainty that foreign websites will get better and better at targeting US markets without infringements of any kind and staying completely within the letter of US law. The North American bridal space can expect growing competition from savvy business people who are not pirates.

What then?

The IBMA would like to welcome and recognize our newest members!

Alfred Sung Bridals

Anjolique Bridal

Brides Magazine

COUTURE New York Bridal Fashion Week

Dallas Market Center

Edward Berger

Lillian Rose

Liz Fields

Maggie Sottero

Malis Henderson

Mariell Designs

Modern Trousseau

National Bridal Market/NY International Bridal Market Week

Vaudeville Mannequins

Wedding Wire

“Speaking on behalf of the IBMA board, I’d like to thank each new or renewing member for their support, and for their willingness to step outside of their primary interests to work toward addressing issues of importance for the industry as a whole,” said Alan Dessy, IBMA president.

To join the IBMA, click here.

WeddingWire was presented the task of creating a program that would be appealing to a large audience and would create a movement among IBMA members to take action and participate as a group.  What we have devised is a program created exclusively for the IBMA , which is both easily digestible and will have a strong impact during peak engagement season. Our  program is aimed to achieve two main goals: create brand awareness for the members’ individual brands and for the IBMA as an association. We have constructed is a program in which, each member has the opportunity to receive the following:

- 10 images  to appear in a curated, Featured Gallery, which will highlight gowns exclusively from IBMA members

- 600,000 impressions in a 728 x 90 run of site ad unit to promote each IBMA members’ brand during the first quarter

We included a bonus to get more members to participate and it worked! WeddingWire will offer an additional 500,000 impressions dedicated to promote the IBMA as an association, if more than 5 members participate. We are thrilled to announce that so far we have 6 members, who jumped on-board right away and several others who seem to be moving in that direction as well.

We are excited to have this opportunity to create a dedicated program for the IBMA and its members. If you are interested in learning more information, please feel free to contact me at persephone@weddingwire.com.

A NEW IBMA IS BORN!

As a paid member, you’ll have access to this growing list of benefits, and can participate in shaping the association’s future as it tackles issues of importance to us all.

Renewing and/or signing up is easier than ever… simply follow the link below to the newly designed IBMA website, click through to the Membership section, and pay the $300 annual fee via credit card or PayPal.

And for the first 20 members signing up or renewing, lunch in New York at the NYC Athletic Club at the April 13 IBMA meeting is on us!
Act fast and sign up today… this “Free Lunch” $50 value ends 12/23.

]]> http://www.bridalmanufacturers.com/archives/196/feed 0 http://www.bridalmanufacturers.com/archives/157 http://www.bridalmanufacturers.com/archives/157#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:54:16 +0000 AssocAdmin http://50.116.87.67/~ibma/?p=157

Presenting IBMA member program at the NY board meeting included from left: Marie Connors, Dallas Market Center; Chris Hulse and Jen, The Wedding Audience; Jane Heflin, Couture NY Show, and Jennifer Davidson and name, name, of The Knot; Jackie and Lori Silver, Brides; and Persephone Efessiou and Pam Quandt, WeddingWire.

The acting board of directors of the IBMA made significant headway in its efforts to revitalize the association at its recent board meeting, approving up-to-date bylaws, electing officers, and reviewing members-only ad and promotional programs presented in person by representatives of Brides magazine and Brides.com; theknot.com, The Knot magazine, and Couture New York Market; The Wedding Audience, WeddingWire, and the Dallas Market Center.

The board also reviewed proposals addressing the need and the feasibility of a West Coast regional market. Others submitting proposals but unable to attend included Bridal Guide Magazine, and The National Bridal Market.

Held at the New York Athletic Club October 14, the board elected and ratified the following members and officers:

President: Alan Dessy, Dessy Group

Vice President: Paula Varsalona, Paula Varsalona

Secretary: Claudine Hamm, Alyce Designs

Treasurer: Peter Grimes, Vows Magazine

Board members confirmed: Eric Greco, Jordan Fashions; James Elias, Demetrios; Kevin Lu, Casablanca Bridal; Ed Rene, Touch Ups Shoes; Ty Yeh, Private Label by G; Kyle Yin, Jasmine Bridals, and Larry Warshaw, Sincerity/Justin Alexander.

Committee Chairs: Bylaws Committee, Paul Varsalona; Counterfeit and Fashion Piracy, Kyle Yin, and Market Feasibility, Larry Warshaw.

In congratulating the board and its new officers, President Alan Dessy also praised out-going president David Lesser, Forever Yours Bridal, for his selfless dedication and stewardship of the association, and thanking him for providing the foundation upon which the IBMA hopes to build.

The board also established the membership dues at $300, and directed Dessy and Peter Grimes to further review all proposals and create summaries for distribution to members and renewing members.

The IBMA has a brand new look. This double page spread will be appearing in For The Bride Magazine as well as Vows Magazine. General members will be included in ads like this one in the future.

Join the new IBMA now, so you can participate in group advertising program made available to members only by a number of bridal media and on-line resources.

Annual dues are $300, must be paid in advance, and cannot be prorated during the calendar year. Dues must be paid in full before participation. In addition to special member-only advertising and promotional programs, paid members are invited to attend annual general membership meetings coordinated by the board of directors.

Members will also periodically receive proposals previewed by the board from various media companies including print and online publishers, as well as those from other business resources. These opportunities are structured to offer substantial savings on products or services, and are offered exclusively to the IBMA as a group.

The next meeting of the general members is scheduled for Friday April 13th, 2012.  Members who pay their dues before January 1st, 2011 will not be charged the food/beverage fee of $50.

Click here to pay your dues

CLICK HERE for full story and video.

Bridal manufacturers and brides are facing a continued threat from companies overseas that do not respect US copyright laws.

This story aired by Good Morning America November 3 demonstrates the problem quite clearly. Featuring notable companies such as Allure Bridal and Jenny Yoo, the video sheds light on an all too familiar and frustrating problem, and alerts the bride to the dangers of purchasing her gown from an overseas factory site.

The IBMA has established the Counterfeit and Fashion Piracy committee to explore methods by which we can put a stop to such blatant brand identity theft, and to find ways to protect the industry and the bridal consumer from this type of predatory activity. Current chair is Kyle Yin, Jasmine Bridal, assisted by Larry Warshaw, Sincerity/Justin Alexander Bridal.

To add your ideas and/or comments to the effort, please do so via email: info@bridalmanufacturers.com