The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) has developed a monitoring system that it says can identify websites selling counterfeit watches.
According to the FH’s Internet unit, more than 250 sites have been shut down since the system went live in October 2012. It was developed in conjunction with the technical and IT division of Bern University of Applied Science (BFH).
The system allows the automatic acquisition and extraction of traces on the Internet, which enables visited sites selling counterfeit goods to be classified.
According to FH, the system can be modified to trace other counterfeit products as well. “Counterfeiters react quickly and don’t hesitate to change hosts when their sites are closed down; they must, therefore, be pursued without respite,” FH said in a news release.
