Anti-Counterfeiting Interview Series - Jud Hawken, PING

The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group has for years worked to take down fake golf equipment manufacturers overseas and online listings to protect golfers all around the world. The Group, comprised of many of the top golf brands in the world, strives to reduce the amount of fake golf equipment on the market and ensure that buyers can be confident in their online purchases.

To tell the stories of what we’re doing to protect golfers, the Anti-Counterfeiting Interview Series will speak to those on the front lines of this battle. We’ll get an in-depth look at what each brand that’s a part of the Group is doing to keep golf real.

In the first edition of our series, we spoke to Jud Hawken, Associate General Counsel for PING, and the leader of the company’s anti-counterfeiting efforts.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation with him.

1. Can you explain your role as Associate General Counsel and what you do for PING
   As Associate General Counsel, I am involved in a variety of areas that run the gamut from corporate transactional work to intellectual property enforcement and brand protection initiatives. 

2. What is your role, as Associate General Counsel, in ending counterfeit equipment production?
   Working with our General Counsel and our brand protection team members, my role is to ensure that we are pursuing all relevant avenues in the fight against counterfeits, whether it be in initiating online enforcement actions,  participating in civil actions against online counterfeit dealers, or taking part in law enforcement raids of counterfeiting facilities.  I also work as a liaison for the brand as part of our membership in the U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group.

3. Why is it important to put an end to production and distribution of counterfeit equipment?
   Fake golf equipment hurts everyone, from manufacturers to consumers and society as a whole. Theft of intellectual property hurts the innovative individuals and companies who spend time and resources to come up with new ideas only to have them stolen and cheaply copied, potentially tarnishing good will and brand reputation built over time.  Consumers buying fake goods, either knowingly or unknowingly, are often faced with defective and possibly dangerous goods which don’t perform or provide any value.  And society as a whole is hurt by the counterfeit industry, as many times profits from the illicit trade in fake consumer goods go towards funding criminal enterprise on a larger scale.  

4. What is the benefit to golfers of the major golf brands tackling this problem together?
   When numerous brands in any industry help to shine a light on the common problem of counterfeiting, it helps to raise awareness and gain broader recognition of the problem.  Our initiatives like the Keep Golf Real web site and social media presence has widened the reach of the message.   

5. Where are you finding a large amount of counterfeit production? Which of your products is the most counterfeited?
   In our experience, much of the counterfeit production is still located in China.  Usually, whichever products are newest or most popular will be the most counterfeited items.

6. What does your brand specifically do to support this effort?
   As an active member of the U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, we try to stay on the front lines of the fight against fakes.  And as an individual brand, we constantly maintain internal brand protection programs to seek out and enforce against violations of our intellectual property rights.

7. Do you have any personal stories or connection to fighting counterfeits in golf?
   Several years ago, an understandably upset local newscaster who had unknowingly purchased a fake PING club online showed up to our offices with the club in hand, along with a camera crew!  Luckily, we were quickly able to identify the club as fake and help to educate the public on the issue.

8. How can golfers identify counterfeit products?
   The number one piece of advice we give to consumers is to only deal with authorized dealers when you are shopping.  This eliminates the risk of getting burned.  Also, consumers can learn more about identifying fakes on the Keep Golf Real site. 

9. What should someone do if they purchased a PING product and suspect it might be a fake?
   They can always contact us at ip@ping.com and we can assist with authentication.

10. What does the future of fighting golf counterfeits look like in your eyes?
    As we continue to move toward a more global economy and a more digital marketplace, we need to stay current with new technologies not only that the counterfeiters are using to further their businesses but also the technologies that can help to combat the problem.  If we can continue to evolve in our strategies and technologies to predict future business models of the counterfeiters, we will hopefully stay one step ahead in the fight against fakes.