Counterfeit overseas famous slippers are detected. /Courtesy of Korean Intellectual Property Office

The Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) purchased samples of famous Company A slippers and sandals circulating on overseas direct purchase platforms for monitoring, and all samples were found to be counterfeit products.

According to KIPO on the 13th, it was revealed that between Nov. 18 and Nov. 25 of last year, it directly purchased samples of Company A's slippers and sandals sold for less than 40% of the regular price from Chinese overseas direct purchase platforms (one each from 16 sales locations) to confirm trademark infringement.

In the case of online counterfeit products, terms indicating counterfeit products, such as 'S-grade' and 'st,' are primarily used on the information pages. However, the counterfeit products identified this time used genuine logos and images without notifying that they were counterfeit products.

Sales locations that claimed the name 'Company A Official Store' were also confirmed not to be official stores, and the products sold at those locations were found to be counterfeit, raising concerns about consumer harm. While there are differences in quality, such as materials, forms, and finish, between genuine products and counterfeit ones, ordinary consumers find it difficult to distinguish them.

KIPO warned that products priced at less than 40% of the regular price are likely to be counterfeit, and thus caution is required. To prevent consumer harm, KIPO is requesting actions against those identified as sellers of counterfeit products on the platforms, while also planning to expand the monitoring of target items and platforms in the future. Starting this year, artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring will also be fully implemented.

Shin Sang-gon, head of KIPO's Industrial Property Protection Cooperation Bureau, stated, "To prevent consumer harm from counterfeit products, it is important for consumers themselves to have the discernment and effort to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products and to pay a fair price for genuine purchases," and noted, "KIPO will strive to properly inform consumers about trademark rights and counterfeit products so they can make reasonable choices."