WTR Interviews Woodhouse & Schrader on Counterfeiting Amidst Shifting Supply Chains

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Adams & Reese Partners and Global IP Team members Maia Woodhouse and Kristina Montanaro Schrader were interviewed by World Trademark Review in the article, “Shifting Supply Chains and AI are Creating Opportunities for Counterfeiters.”

The global publication for brand owners interviewed legal counsel on how counterfeiting has shifted from a mostly fake-goods problem into a complex technological and geopolitical challenge.

The introduction of new tariffs and the elimination of the de minimis loophole in the U.S. have caused counterfeiters to “pivot to misdeclared goods, transshipment through third countries and more complex supply routes,” says Woodhouse and Schrader.

Schrader added that fast-moving logistics networks allow infringing goods to reach consumers faster and with fewer barriers, and therefore customs enforcement will be tested in the coming years as small parcel shipments continue to complicate and dominate the counterfeit supply chain. For example, counterfeiters in the Asia-Pacific region are already using global supply chains, hidden compartments, and drop-shipping to evade detection.

“AI-generated content is leading to an increase in the volume of infringing online listings, and counterfeiters’ use of encrypted messaging is thwarting rights holders’ investigations”, warn Schrader and Woodhouse. 

But brand owners are fighting back with their own tech-savvy solutions, and AI can help them implement new protection strategies, says legal counsel interviewed in the World Trademark Review article. AI offers scalable, efficient enforcement capabilities through tools that can monitor and enforce marketplaces in real time, adds Schrader.

“Collaboration between industries, platforms, and law enforcement is improving globally, creating new openings for intelligence-sharing and coordinated action and allowing rights holders to focus on more integrated, data-driven and proactive brand protection strategies,” says Schrader and Tara Steketee, Chair of the INTA Anticounterfeiting Committee.

Schrader and Steketee added: “Proactive engagement with marketplaces, regulators, industry associations such as INTA and law enforcement is key. Aligning legal, technical and commercial teams around a unified IP protection strategy is essential for staying ahead of counterfeiters.”

Schrader serves as Vice Chair of the Anticounterfeiting Committee of INTA, a global nonprofit of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and complementary intellectual property to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Membership comprises 6,700 organizations, more than 180 countries, and more than 37,000 professionals.

At Adams & Reese, Schrader serves as the Anti-Counterfeiting Team Leader. A Partner in the Nashville office, Schrader crafts modern brand and content protection strategies for a wide range of multinational businesses as counterfeiting cuts across virtually every product sector. Schrader serves clients in fashion and luxury goods, food and beverage, software, electronics, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, sports, music and entertainment, among others.

Woodhouse is a first-chair IP litigator with her practice focused on global IP litigation and enforcement and trademark litigation. A Partner in the Nashville office, Woodhouse prosecutes and defends against motions for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions in “bet-the-company” IP disputes.

Both Schrader and Woodhouse are ranked by clients and peers among the top IP attorneys in Chambers USA (Top Ranked in Tennessee), Managing IP (Rising Stars), and World Trademark Review (Top Trademark Professionals).