Success Stories
Success starts with planning and goals.
No success can be found without a commitment to make it happen.
1. Market surveys of used and non-used of logos and trademarks
As more and more Malaysians start their own businesses, the usage of logos and trademarks becomes a problem when some of them look similar. Some business people are dragged into trademark dispute when their trademarks are accused of plagiarising another ‘authentic and original’ trademark.
In an urgent case which gave DNA Risk team only three days, we managed to complete and deliver the task just before the client starts their business. Our task was to make sure no other businesses were using their logo in the market before the official launch so as to avoid a logo ownership dispute.
Our team surveyed the real situation on the ground to gauge popularity and pricing of some products, to check if there are counterfeits in the market, and find out who the dealers are. From time to time we are also assigned to evaluate the standard of customer service of some companies. All key findings are included in our reports to client companies.
Similarity is something many businesses always want to avoid, because they could easily be accused of right infringement. Other than similarity of products, businesses also try to avoid repetition of the design style and colour of corporate identity among each other.
Our team also offers hours- and days-long monitoring programme to keep an eye on online activities of different business genres. We then wrote reports of online monitoring for clients to decide next course of action.
2. Tracking down a factory in ASEAN region
A vibrant economic and trading environment in ASEAN region with low or no tariff is definitely good news for merchants and the people. But it also comes with a problem—counterfeits tend to become ubiquitous as businesses thrive.
Counterfeit goods that we see in Malaysia are not necessarily manufactured locally. When we received requests by brand companies to track down the sources of counterfeits, more often than not, the products are produced in another ASEAN country. In one case we managed to tracked down a factory in Vietnam counterfeiting a Malaysian product.
Instead of focusing on petty sellers earning a few ringgit here and there, we investigate and trace manufacturer/producer of counterfeits.
Counterfeit business is a million-dollar business because the dishonest manufacturers imitated genuine products’ ideas without investing in R&D and product development. Perhaps this explains why counterfeits appear every now and then.
Our foreign counterparts often appointed us to conduct investigation in Malaysia to look for counterfeit goods in local market.
We strive to continue reducing the volume of counterfeits.
3. Busting fake gloves and pharmaceutical items
The story dates back to the early dates and months when the Covid-19 pandemic started to hit Malaysia. Gloves and pharmaceutical items begun to be selling like hot cakes. And these products were said to be of short supply.
This was the ‘timing’ for some unscrupulous dealers taking advantage of the hardship of the people. Some gloves and pharmaceutical items were manufactured without following the standard set by Ministry of Health, while some created subpar gloves with fake trademark of the more well-known brand companies.
At times we monitored 24-hour a day for three consecutive days at entry points in Malaysia to block the import and export of counterfeits. The law requires us to take swift action within 24 hours. This is why we need to make sure each task is carried out effectively and successfully.
We managed to bust such counterfeits and products of poor quality. Our effort helped the authorities achieve their objectives of reducing fake and subpar products in the market.
4. Swift action on behalf of client companies
When we received information from client/counterpart, we deployed a team to Port Klang to intercept the incoming of some containers with counterfeit products. From the action we were able to catch the operators involved red-handed and collect sufficient evidence for the authorities to prosecute them.
In other words, not only did we successfully stop counterfeits from entering into Malaysian market, but we also played a key role in protecting the clients’ right.
5. Building a strong case
Divorce becomes more common in a constantly-changing world. And things become messy and ugly when couples file a court case to fight for child custody. Some of our researchers managed to look for evidence to prove either side unworthy of winning child custody.
Some embassies appointed us to check on their citizens’ activities in Malaysia. Law enforcement agencies in their original country/territory need more evidence of people suspicious of involving in insurance fraud/financial embezzlement and fraud.
6. Fraud prevention and brand awareness programme
With a one-year programme, DNA Risk educated client companies on brand awareness and fraud prevention programme.
In one case we were working with a client company on a brand awareness programme that extended up to six years. It was a wonderful experience to grow together with the client company. The surprising part was that DNA Risk colleagues learned more about the client’s products than their own staff did. And amazingly, we ended up training their new staff.
Through various types of collaboration, our client companies learned that brand awareness is no rocket science. It includes the need to be aware of similarity when it comes to design of logos and trademarks. Intellectual property matters become an issue when Company A claims that product of Company B copied its patented design, while Company B claims it designed its own product without plagiarising others’ works.
According to law, trademark needs to be registered in different country/territory before starting a business. For example, a coffee and beverage chain became famous in Taiwan or Singapore wishes to set up business in Malaysia and Indonesia. They need to register their trademark separately in Malaysia and Indonesia before they can use their own trademark legally to run business. We usually advise clients to first register trademark in their target markets, before someone else registers it for the sake of profiteering by selling back to the original owner.
7. One-stop service provider
Clients and brand companies collaborating with DNA Risk often said that they didn’t need to look around for different services. Among our different roles:
Educator: We share our knowledge to protect brands, and authentic products.
Researcher: We take action to protect brands from counterfeits, keep businesses safe from fraud.
Communicator: We liaison with clients’ lawyers, help them collate strong evidence to be presented before prosecution.
8. Protecting client companies’ right
As the business world becomes more and more complicated, we need to conduct internal due diligence from time to time to protect our business interest. We managed to help some client companies collect evidence of how some staff members were running business outside normal office hours. When a client company sacked a staff involving in wrongdoings, DNA Risk’s evidence backed their sacking as they were able prove how the laid-off staff was involved in activities that breached their hiring contract.
9. Background check / screening
Our thorough and careful screening helped some big corporations in the Malaysian market make the right choice to hire/appoint the right candidates. For the highest management positions such as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer, our client companies are much more careful and they appointed DNA Risk to conduct background check on several potential candidates.
We do not recommend any candidates to take up any positions. We only present our findings to help client companies make better decision in the appointment of their personnel at the level of management and board of directors.
10. Foreign companies’ staff running business in Malaysia
Some foreign client companies contacted DNA Risk when they found out that some of their staff members were running business in Malaysia. With their wide personal network in Malaysia, they shared the business secrets with their Malaysian business partners to run exactly the same business. In other words, the foreign client company’s business in the Malaysian market was affected because their own staff were running the same business and thus luring the very same pool of customers.
In such cases, we managed to trace and gather concrete evidence to protect our client companies when they take action to fire the said staff on the grounds of breach of contract. When the laid-off staff tried to file a lawsuit to sue their former employer, DNA Risk’s evidence was the best answer for lawyers to strike out such suit.
11. Unlicenced software
We live in a modern world where most working individuals and students need computers. We have different needs on computer and that’s a good source of revenue for companies researching and developing up and running software for consumers.
But some computer traders disrespectful of original producers’ copyright and effort tend to sell unauthorised (cracked) version of software to consumers. In some cases, we had successfully gathered evidence of computer sellers providing unlicenced software and we tipped the authorities to take action. These are also some situations where the original software developers intervened to make sure that consumers buy and use licenced authentic software.
As there are still many companies using pirated and unlicenced software, DNA Risk helped clients monitor businesses which are not using original and licenced software. Our long-term programme aims to make sure companies in different fields always use authorised and licenced software.
12. Unscrupulous business practice
Let’s be true to ourselves. We don’t live in a rose-tinted world. All products/services in the market need more sales for their business survival. For the sake of earning more money, some businesses stooped so low: they manufactured some counterfeits of their competitor’s products, so that when bad news about a product A spread in the market, the sales volume of product B as an alternative can be boosted.
There were also cases whereby delivery of some pharmaceutical products was disrupted when lorries were hijacked, and the authentic goods were being sold or stored in unknown places. We took up such cases when client companies were suspicious that some staff involved in inside job to rob and sell authentic products.
There were also cases of toxic pencils, fake FMCG goods, counterfeit baby products being distributed to the market claiming to be products of well-known companies. DNA Risk team managed to trace and stop the counterfeits from entering the market.
Some clients appointed us to monitor online sellers selling counterfeit products. If they were selling counterfeit products, DNA Risk had successfully gathered evidence of their selling points, locations for manufacturing and storage, packing and assembly. Subsequent actions of raiding and prosecution were carried out by the authorities.
13. How we give back to the community
By making sure distribution of counterfeit products is blocked off, we are already doing good for the society.
Babies saved from using counterfeit baby products; school children spared the risk of using toxic pencils; members of the public need not worry about buying and using subpar masks and pharmaceutical products; consumers have their computers well protected by original and licenced software; companies running their business smoothly with greater brand awareness; drivers driving their cars and riders riding their motorcycles with an assurance in their mind that their vehicles always use genuine and up-to-standard parts to ensure safety; and diners enjoy their meals with peace of mind, knowing their food comes from safe sources.
For us at DNA Risk, every day is a new day. We help clients solve problems today and different problems might pop up tomorrow. With a never-give-up spirit, we firmly believe that we are able to build a better market with our clients and the authorities.
In Malaysia and the ASEAN region as a whole, we deserve a market that upholds integrity and ethics, trustworthiness and honesty.