Sennheiser (Old Lyme, Conn.) and Shure Incorporated (Evanston, Ill.) announced today that they have joined together to take a stand against counterfeit microphones. On Wednesday, December 12, in Enping City, China, Shure and Sennheiser teamed with Chinese anti-counterfeiting officials in the Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) to complete a raid on five counterfeit manufacturers in seven different locations. Over 10,000 pieces of Shure and Sennheiser products were confiscated, making it one of the largest raids to be executed in pro audio history.
“We asked Sennheiser to join us on this raid because we wanted to show a united front to counterfeiters and consumers alike, indicating that the industry will not tolerate these activities,” said Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO of Shure Incorporated. “We embrace fair competition, which inevitably pushes the industry forward, but we refuse to stand by idly as people attempt to deceive our consumers with inferior versions of our products bearing our name.”
The December 12th raid uncovered large quantities of look-alike Shure SM58, BG Series and 14A models, as well as Sennheiser Evolution 818 and 835 microphones. All goods were confiscated pending an investigation by China’s AIC, but preliminary inspections revealed that the counterfeit goods had poor sound quality and severe handling noise.
“Product piracy is an immense problem that damages the reputation of the whole industry. Therefore, it is only logical to work together with our competitors in planning and implementing effective action against a common opponent,” said Rolf Meyer, president of marketing and sales at Sennheiser. “We have an obligation to provide our customers with a quality standard, and will do all that we can to protect that standard.”
Visit Sennheiser online at www.sennheiserusa.com or Shure at www.shure.com.
