On the heels of launching their co-hosted podcast series, LegalBriefs, addressing online brand protection, MAPP Trap has just announced another great partnership with Chicago law firm, Freeborn & Peters, LLP. Effective immediately, MAPP Trap compliance clients will be able to escalate policy enforcement efforts by having Cease & Desist letters sent to unauthorized, gray-market sellers from a powerful firm.
Although Authorized Seller enforcement emails are sent automatically through MAPP Trap’s proprietary services, sometimes sellers ignore them because they’re not sent by an attorney. Many companies simply can’t afford to hire a law firm to reach out directly; especially a high-visibility firm with a track record of success. The MAPP Trap/Freeborn partnership removes that obstacle with an affordable and effective solution.
With the ability to submit instructions through their online accounts, MAPP Trap users can direct Cease & Desist letters be sent covering a range of concerns, including: counterfeit goods; copyright infringement, and trademark infringement. There will also be a variety of correspondence for breach of retailer agreements.
According to Jeremy Richardson, a partner with Freeborn’s New York office who focuses on consumer products, “In an e-commerce world, brand protection also means consumer protection. Freeborn & Peters is thrilled to partner with MAPP Trap to provide a cost-effective method to stop unauthorized retailers from harming brands and potentially selling unsafe, counterfeit products.”
“Gray-market sellers are a direct threat to brand equity,” said Ron Solomon, who founded MAPP Trap to help brands maintain retail margins and healthy distribution through MAP policies, authorized reseller policies, distributor agreements and more. “Online retailers believe they can sell whatever they like, any time they like and anywhere they like. But they’re dead wrong. Our alliance with Freeborn gives our clients another arrow in their enforcement quiver.”