Birkenstock takes on fake sandal makers with court-ordered raids in Delhi, Agra — ‘They seem like cheap knock-off'
The factory visits were conducted by Indian court-appointed legal representatives with the aim of seizing suspected fake Birkenstock footwear.
This is not an isolated case, as other International shoemakers are also in the news for battling intellectual property infringement in the Indian market.
Birkenstock's crackdown began with an internal investigation that found that counterfeits were being made in rural areas across New Delhi and Agra, which is home to the iconic Taj Mahal.
These fakes were sold locally and also exported to other countries, Reuters reported.
These incidents prompted the shoemaker to file an infringement lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against four footwear traders, four factories and two unnamed individuals in May.
In other instances of a similar case, Crocs this month secured a court nod to pursue a nine-year-old infringement case, while Prada is facing heat over displaying sandals similar to ethnic Indian footwear without giving any credit to India.
On May 26, the Delhi High Court judge Saurabh Banerjee issued an order, saying that 10 local lawyers were appointed as commissioners to visit the suspected factories.
The judge said that these commissioners have the power to "seize, pack and seal the infringing products".
His order included photographs that Birkenstock submitted showing the alleged counterfeit footwear and shoe boxes with the company's branding.
The visit reports were submitted confidentially to the judge, awaiting the next hearing which is scheduled for October 6.
Banerjee said in his May order that he reviewed photographs and samples of the alleged counterfeit products in court, and they "seem like a cheap knock-off" of Birkenstock products.
"There is all likelihood of the public getting deceived,' he said, adding that the differences, hardly any, are not something that can be noticed by the naked eye, Reuters reported.
The shoe brand was once popular among hippies, tech enthusiasts and medical professionals.
It gained popularity when Australian actress Margot Robbie wore a pair of pink Birkenstocks in the ending scene of the 2023 hit movie "Barbie".
In February, a German court said Birkenstock sandals do not qualify as art and are therefore not protected by copyright, dismissing a lawsuit brought by the German company.
In India, Birkenstock footwear for women is priced between ₹ 3,900 and ₹ 20,000, the news agency reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
16 minutes ago
- Mint
AI impersonator pretending to be US Secretary of State Marco Rubio targets three foreign ministers: Report
An individual using an AI-generated voice to impersonate US Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress in June, according to a diplomatic cable reviewed by Reuters. The fraudulent outreach was made via the Signal messaging app, with the impersonator leaving voicemails for at least two targets. 'The actor likely aimed to manipulate targeted individuals using AI-generated text and voice messages with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,' the cable stated, according to the news report. The impersonator reached out in mid-June using Signal, a messaging platform. In one instance, a text message was sent to invite the recipient to continue the conversation via the app, the report stated. The cable warns that although no direct cyber threat to the State Department was identified, sensitive information could be compromised if the targeted individuals were deceived. 'There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,' the cable reportedly warned. The diplomatic cable did not reveal the identities of the foreign ministers or US officials contacted. The State Department has launched an investigation into the matter. 'The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,' a senior department official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. 'The Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department's cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents,' the official added. While the cable did not name a perpetrator, it referenced an earlier effort in April linked to a Russian cyber actor. That campaign involved phishing emails sent to think tanks, Eastern European dissidents, and former US officials. The attacker used fake "@ email addresses and official-looking branding from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. 'The actor demonstrated extensive knowledge of the department's naming conventions and internal documentation,' the cable noted. That phishing effort has been attributed to a hacker affiliated with Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), according to industry partners cited by the State Department. In May, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning that malicious actors were using AI-generated voices and text messages to impersonate senior government officials. The goal: to access personal accounts or solicit information or funds. The FBI declined to comment on this week's incident. 'Access to targets' accounts could be used to go after other government officials or their associates and contacts,' the May announcement warned. The cable follows a separate internal crisis last month involving former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who accidentally added a journalist to a group chat where military strike details on Yemen were shared. The July 3 cable urged all diplomatic and consular posts to warn external partners about fake accounts and impersonation risks.
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
FATF report flags misuse of digital platforms in terror attacks
NEW DELHI: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Tuesday warned about the use of e-commerce platforms and virtual private networks (VPNs) by terrorists to procure explosives or arrange funds, citing the example of the February 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing and April 2022 Gorakhnath temple terror attack. A flag with the logo of the Financial Action Task Force, FATF, waves in the wind next to the German national falg during a meeting of the task force at the Congress Center in Berlin, Germany.(AP) In its latest report titled 'Comprehensive update on terrorist financing risks', the multilateral financial watchdog said it has received inputs from delegations and publicly available sources regarding state sponsorship of terrorism, including by groups designated by the United Nations. The FATF didn't specifically name any country. However, India has repeatedly asserted at international forums that Pakistan openly supports UN-listed terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Citing the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 Indian troopers as a case study for misuse of e-commerce platforms for terror financing, the report said: 'Investigations revealed the cross-border management of a large quantity of explosives into India. Notably, a key component of the improvised explosive device used in the attack - aluminium powder - was procured through the EPOM [e-commerce platform and online marketplace] Amazon. This material was used to enhance the impact of the blast.' To be sure, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had said in its Pulwama attack charge sheet that one of the accused, Waiz-ul-Islam, a resident of Srinagar, had helped the main planner Umar Farooq in procuring explosives from Amazon. Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in the terror attack on February 14, 2019, triggering the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s air strike on a JeM terror camp deep inside Pakistan 12 days later. This resulted in a dogfight between combat jets of the two nations on February 27. 'The possibility that States may choose to provide financial or other forms of support to organisations that engage in terrorist acts is a longstanding terror financing threat to international peace and security, as well as to the stability of regional financial and political systems,' the report said. 'Moreover, it undermines the effectiveness of FATF activities that are intended to support governments in adopting best practices to detect, deter and otherwise disrupt terror financing,' it said, adding that support by states was provided in the form of direct financial support, logistical and material support, of the provision of training. On the use of online payment service and VPNs by terrorists, the FATF report referred to the April 3, 2022 attack on security personnel at Gorakhnath temple by an Islamic State-inspired terrorist, Murtaza Abbasi. 'The financial investigation revealed that individual A transferred INR 669,841 (USD 7,685) via PayPal to foreign countries in support of ISIL, using international third party transactions and using VPN services to obscure the IP address,' the report said. 'The forensic report revealed that the accused had been using a VPN for calling, chatting, and downloading to evade detection. Further financial scrutiny uncovered that the accused had made a payment to a VPN provider through his bank account to secure these services,' the report said. 'A comprehensive analysis of the accused's PayPal transactions, obtained via email, indicated that approximately forty-four international third-party transactions totaling ₹669,841 (approximately USD 7,736) had been made to foreign accounts. Additionally, the accused received funds from a foreign account through PayPal. The investigation also uncovered that the accused had sent money to multiple individuals identified as ISIL followers in the foreign jurisdictions to support terror activities,' it said. The global watchdog had last month condemned the April 22 Pahalgam attack, saying it could not have occurred without money and means to move funds between terrorist supporters, which Indian officials described as an important first direct statement by the FATF. 'Terrorist attacks kill, maim and inspire fear around the world. The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters,' the statement by FATF said.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Jane Street case: Ex-Sebi chief Madhabi Buch denies regulatory failures
Madhabi Buch (File photo) Mumbai: Former Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch has come out strongly against those pointing fingers at the regulator in the Jane Street market manipulation case, indicating it was a regulatory failure due to which US-based algo trading major Jane Street thrived with its alleged illegal acts for years. On Tuesday, Puri Buch issued a statement saying it was in April 2024 (when she was at the helm) that Sebi had formed a team of officials from various departments and started looking into Jane Street's affairs. The statement by Puri Buch came on the day Jane Street told its employees that Sebi had "many erroneous or unsupported assertions" about its trading activity in the country and it would "defend itself against the accusations". The trading firm said it strongly rejected "the premise and substance of (Sebi's) order", and said the markets regulator was "fundamentally mistaken" about its trades, reports noted. Jane Street also said its trading activities were "unambiguously good for the health of financial markets". On her part, Puri Buch, through a one-page statement, said that the "identification of index manipulation by Jane Street and initiation of numerous actions (by the regulator), including a cease & desist instruction, were carried out by Sebi between April 2024 and Feb 2025." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo Puri Buch left her office on February 28, 2025 after completing her three-year term. On July 3, that is more than a year after it started investigating Jane Street's affairs in India, Sebi banned the US-based algo trading major and three of its arms from the Indian market. Sebi also asked Jane Street to disgorge nearly Rs 4,850 crore that it sees as ill-gotten profit. In her statement, the former Sebi chief said that some entities in the market were trying to "create a false narrative by implying that there was regulatory failure by Sebi in the (Jane Street) matter during that period and attributing false motives for the same". " Right from April 2024, Sebi was seized of the matter relating to the Jane Street group and took numerous steps to examine and investigate the extremely complex structures and strategies deployed by them and to verify and analyse the data. " Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
