Reporting counterfeit product websites in Google

[the_swede]

Hi all,

Apologies if this question has been asked before, but I couldn’t find the answer here nor on the web.

I work with leading world wide brand who sells consumer products. I now discovered two websites selling counterfeit products appearing in position 1 and 3 in Google’s natural listings for a highly competitive keyword.

These sites are also using trademarked logos and images with copyright.

These sites are hosted in China, and there are no real means of getting in contact with the owners – no that they would stop what they are doing because I asked them so nicely!

Is there any means of alerting Google about this to have them removed?

Thanks

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 6:46 pm (utc) on Nov. 24, 2009]

[Robert Charlton]

While our Google Forum Charter [webmasterworld.com] lists several ways of contacting Google, these are mostly concerned with matters of search quality, which may or may not apply. It's likely that the sites are using spam techniques, so reporting may be of some use.

Your problem, or part of it, at least, is more likely to fall under the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). See this discussion for more details...

Submitting a DMCA to Google
Is it worth it? Do I have to prove I own the copyright?
[webmasterworld.com...]

[the_swede]

Thanks for your input Robert, and you have just confirmed my own fears.

I also reckon it will be difficult to get these type of sites "banned" from Google, unless I could prove they are breaching Google's Webmaster guidelines.

It is like you pointed out part of a bigger problem, and something Google should take a closer look at.

Ultimately, the end user is the one who will suffer by being server irrelevant / spam-type content.

Thanks again...

[dstiles]

It's always possible, if the topic is popular, that criminals are forging sites and pushing them into google SERPS. This is a known activity and causing a lot of grief for the incautious.

From a zdnet security blog, reported from cyveilance, dated 8 days ago:

"more than 260,000 URLs are presented in Google’s search index leading to blogs similar to the ones illustrated in our example".

Needless to say very few carry google warnings.

Other SEs are also affected, of course.

[the_swede]

Thanks, interesting read but not really the scenario that I'm faced with here.

The sites I'm up against don't push out viruses or malware. They simply look like an official consumer goods reseller, but sell counterfeit goods, which to the untrained eye is very difficult to detect.

This can, and will, have detrimental effects on many leading brands online... but as mentioned earlier, this is part of a bigger problem that Google, and the other search engines, needs to look into.

Swede

[HuskyPup]

but sell counterfeit goods

I have asked my office in China about this and whilst they say there is a special police department for dealing with counterfeiters you will not only need the proof BUT there are also some things they will not even bother with...LV handbags was the first thing they mentioned and perfume most probably another, UNLESS you have 100% proof.

I know the French authorities are very hot on this however where you would go I have no idea.

In the UK in the first instance I would go to the local Trading Standards office and ask them for their advice and what contacts they have and try and proceed from there.

Good luck.

[the_swede]

Thanks for your input HuskyPup.

I guess if you want something done about this, you need to do it yourself.

Top-Line strategy for this would be:

1. Ensure you rank above the counterfeit websites for all brand associated search terms (in some cases easier said than done)

2. Try and populate the SERPS with other platforms you can control to some degree - Social Media channels being the obvious one!

3. Notify Google and other relevant bodies about these site's activities - although I have very little faith in this approach.

Swede