Salvatore Ferragamo intercepted 90,000 counterfeits in 2014

Italian brand Salvatore Ferragamo has revealed the extent of its ongoing anti-counterfeiting efforts, which saw the luxury label intercept and block around 90,000 online sales of fakes in 2014.

The company has been increasing its battle against counterfeit goods in recent years, and last year its efforts helped block 350 illegal websites, following the 400 sites it shut down the year before, as well as destroy more than 10,000 counterfeit products that had been seized.

In a statement, Salvatore Ferragamo confirmed that its efforts were mainly focused on China and the Internet, adding that the 90,000 counterfeit interceptions were removed from online auctions, and that Chinese customs authorities’ confiscated more than 1,500 counterfeit products leaving the country.

The total estimated value of these goods exceeds seven million dollars, and the Italian fashion house added that it has also won around ten civil court cases against respondents involved in illegal activities.

“In 2014, we increased the number of e-commerce sites that we monitor. In China, we have also expanded our offline checks, targeting trade fairs and resellers in particular,” said Ferruccio Ferragamo, chairman of the Salvatore Ferragamo Group. “Also in China, the 2013 ruling against a high-end hotel whose store sold counterfeit products was upheld on appeal.”

Ferragamo added: “We will further intensify our commitment to fighting counterfeiting in 2015, both to protect our intellectual property rights and to defend our customers. In this way, we will continue to wage this war with great determination, expanding controls both online and offline and ramping up anti-counterfeit measures, including with the customs authorities.”