Grey Market Goods and Counterfeit Products are costing manufacturers crores of rupees annually. These items are often manufactured in foreign countries and imported without the consent of the trade mark holder, or the products are not genuine and sold with unauthorized trademarks with intent to deceive consumers. The existence of counterfeit products and the prevalence of these items being sold in the marketplace compromise quality standards, and in some cases, such as medicine, even endanger lives.

GIL provides an extensive range of services and advice on brand protection, enforcement, and vital IP matters. GIL can locate witnesses, set up undercover sting operations, identify how the infiltration is made, help clients understand how products are diverted into the grey market, and build a legally sound case against the culprits. GIL Grey Market Investigation service helps protect Intellectual Property Rights on one hand and improve channel relationships and safeguard financial assets on the other.

GIL is capable of conducting surveys in retail and wholesale markets virtually anywhere in India. We offer market survey in which our investigators spread out into the markets, looking for counterfeit or unauthorized product at places ranging from small markets to malls and supermarkets of India top retailers. Our understanding of local cultural norms and a strong network of local contacts provides GIL with a clear understanding of the finesse which can affect a products standing in the marketplace.

Market Surveys in appropriate conditions can serve to identify the specific market share of products as well as identify any infringing or counterfeit products and their possible source. For established clients, GIL investigators constantly check the market place in order to prevent the manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods in India. We offer perfect strategies to engage the counterfeiters and bring their activities to an end. Our success in such cases protects our clients from loss of consumer confidence on one hand and brand value on the other hand.

Basically the purpose of due diligence is to establish whether to go ahead with the transaction at all, and if so, on what terms. Due diligence should ensure that:

The purchaser is fully informed before taking a final decision;

The IP is priced correctly given all available information; and

The risk is evenly distributed between the buyer and the seller.

The due diligence in most issues should start before any agreements have been begun. When the situation warrants, a purchaser should conduct at least very basic due diligence to determine whether to invest the time and effort in strating negotiations in the first place.

This may involve some background investigation on the other party to the transaction, research of the markets involved and operators in those markets, and a few fast title searches on the specific IP in question.

During complicated negotiations, the parties may enter into an agreement.

GIL understands that the foundation of any successful Intellectual property rights litigation case lies in the procurement and gathering of useful data from various sources and individuals. GIL specializes in gathering real time intelligence. We support law firms and in-house counsel to gather necessary supporting evidence for litigation through ground investigations, subject interviews, surveillance and other fact gathering means. We also provide a wide range of reliable and confidential legal support services.

Our investigators are seasoned in litigation support techniques, and trained to provide acceptable, expert evidence when required. Additionally, all of our investigators stick to strict internal standard operating procedures and are aware not to violate local laws. We will always maintain communication with you, the client, while expediting your matter in a competent and cost effective manner.

Areas of our expertise are as follows.

	IP / Trademark Investigations & Acquisitions
	Skip-tracing / Locate Investigations
	Comprehensive Background Investigations / Profiling
	Comprehensive Asset Research (pre / post litigation)
	Accident Investigations & Witness Interviews
	Customizable Fact Gathering Investigations