The experience of the Czech knife manufacturerMikov shows that speaking out whena counterfeit version of a Czech product is introduced to the market yieldsconcreteresults. Based oninformationfrom the public, the CzechCustomsAdministrationtook action against the distributor of the counterfeit product,seizing several hundredlow-quality knives that misusedthe company’s trademark. As a result, distributorsstopped offeringthis knife,and customers wereinformed that counterfeiters were behind the substandard product.
Thebiggestproblemwith the counterfeit “Rybička”knifewas that the product had a whole range of serious defects while using the manufacturer’s brand, whichcould haveled to long-term and irreversible damageto theMikov brand’s reputation.
Immediatelyafterthecounterfeitswere discovered,Mikov responded with the“Wanted,” which,in the form ofa wanted poster for the fake “Rybička,” encouraged people to report it and offered two original knives as a reward for “capturing” it.
Thanks in part to Facebook and other social media platforms, the“Wanted”campaign reached tens of thousands of people and generated a number of positive responses: “I consider this a sign of serious business and pride in the brand—thanks for showing that something like this stillexists,” wrote one customer., a traveler from Africa whoiscurrentlyonhis“Around the World with a Fish”journey, also expressed his support for Mikov in the fight against counterfeiters.
The goal of all the stepsMikovis takingagainst the counterfeit manufacturer,includinglegalaction, is not only to protect the good name of a Czech manufacturer that creates dozens of jobs in Mikulášovice, North Bohemia—jobs thatarethreatened bysuch unfair business practices—but alsotofight for fairconditions in the market
“We realize that the little fish is a symbol of a quintessentially Czech product, which is why peoplehave reactedmore sensitivelytoitscounterfeiting. However, I would also like to encourage otherCzechmanufacturersto always speak up ifthey encountersimilar unfair practices,” said MilošPařík,CEOofMikov.
Mikov isone ofthe traditional knife manufacturersintheCzechRepublicand carries on the tradition of knife-making, whichhas a 220-year historyinMikulášovice. In addition tothe “rybička,” italsoproduces a wide range of other knives—including hunting knives,outdoor knives, and knives designed for rescue workers—andisalsoinvolved inspecializedengineeringproduction.
TheMikovfactoryalso features a museum andacompanystore. Everyyear, the company organizes theKnife-Making Festival. The festival will also take place in 2015, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ignaz Rösler,the founderofindustrialknifeproductionin Mikulášovice.