Protection of IP
At the Bandai Namco Group, we are working on measures to protect our IP from infringement by closely cooperating with external partners in order to deliver safe and secure products and services to customers as well as protect their worldviews.
Measures against Counterfeit Goods and Pirated Versions
Implement thorough measures against counterfeit goods
The Bandai Namco Group is taking various actions to protect the world view of its IP and ensure the safety and security of our products and services delivered to customers.
As one facet of measures to address counterfeit products, BANDAI SPIRITS CO., LTD. uses seals* with special specifications featuring forgery prevention processing. These seals, which are in principle applied to all TAMASHII NATIONS brand products for mature fan collectors, are used to verify that a product is genuine.
Seal designs have been revamped since May 2023.
Note: Sample image.
Initiatives in collaboration with the government to eliminate counterfeit goods
To eliminate counterfeit goods, we are promoting initiatives not only with our own company but also in close cooperation with external partners and the government.
Bandai Namco and Bandai Spirits monitor domestic and international markets, along with e-commerce websites, and file injunctions against import/export with Japan Customs as necessary to quickly detect counterfeit goods, stop their distribution, and eliminate them altogether. As one example, we exposed a counterfeit ring in Ningbo, China in March 2023 at the same time as the counterfeit goods were being manufactured. Authorities succeeded in confiscating approximately 8,600 counterfeit goods representing five types and their molds, and three managers at the plant were arrested.
We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the government and promote initiatives to eliminate counterfeit goods.
Process used to eliminate counterfeit goods
Cooperate to raise awareness to eliminate pirated versions
The Bandai Namco Group, in cooperation with the Manga-Anime Anti-Piracy Committee whose secretariat is the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), participates in the Manga-Anime Guardians Project (MAGP), a project to protect Japan’s proud manga and anime throughout the world and to create even more high-quality works.
As part of the awareness-raising activities of this project, we have been producing a collaborative video featuring Bandai Namco Pictures’ own animated characters of Sgt. Frog and No More Movie Thief since 2021. The video has been played in movie theaters throughout Japan, and it was also available on YouTube for a limited time only.
Activities with the IIPPF to raise awareness of IP
In June 2023, the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum (IIPPF) hosted an event for Generation Z to raise awareness of IP. The event was co-sponsored by the World Customs Organization (WCO). The theme of the event, which aimed to educate participants about the reality of counterfeit goods, was “Forefront of the World’s Battle against Counterfeits—A Better Society Made Possible with Intellectual Property.”
At the event, speakers introduced the current situation of the growing number of counterfeit goods in online transactions globally, companies’ efforts to combat them, and the dangers of counterfeit goods. IP representatives of Bandai, which is an IIPPF member, also took the stage to make a presentation.
In this way, the Bandai Namco Group is working with the IIPPF and other rights holder organizations and authorities in various countries to further promote the protection of IP, including taking action against counterfeit products, thereby strengthening infringement countermeasures and raising awareness of IP.
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