At SnapDragon our mission is rooted in a very personal experience – one that many brands can easily relate to.
In 2014, our founder, Rachel, faced a devastating setback when her own baby product was counterfeited and seized at the UK border. The shock and anger of seeing her hard work being undermined by fakes ignited a passion to take action, which involved going directly to the source – to Alibaba, in China.
Now one of the world’s largest marketplaces, Alibaba’s e-commerce platform wasn’t as sophisticated then as it is now. Rachel travelled, together with Jet – who is now Brand Protection Director at SnapDragon – to China to meet the Alibaba team and confront the issue. They waited for what felt like hours at Alibaba HQ to speak with representatives from the Intellectual Property department to explain the alarming story of Rachel’s brand being counterfeited. At first, their concerns were dismissed, as Alibaba was more familiar with the problem of luxury goods being faked. The idea that an SME baby brand from Scotland would be counterfeited in China was an impossible concept to grasp by everyone it seemed, at home in the UK and abroad.
However, Rachel and Jet walked into their meeting armed not just with evidence, but also with courage and conviction. Bringing both an original product and a fake sample, and showing the live listing on the Alibaba platform, they didn’t just talk about the problem, they showed it – making the facts hard to ignore. The truth was undeniable, and everyone in the room felt the shift.
Then came the breakthrough: Alibaba revealed a little-known but incredibly powerful fact. To prove originality, and get fakes removed from their online marketplace, Alibaba.com, a brand’s intellectual property can be registered anywhere, because it’s a global platform. This revelation shattered a major barrier for brands everywhere.
That moment was electric – a catalyst that sparked the creation of SnapDragon. It wasn’t just about stopping fakes; it was about protecting innovators, designers, entrepreneurs, and levelling the playing field for businesses worldwide. From that day, SnapDragon’s mission was clear: to fight for originality and give brands the tools to defend what’s rightfully theirs.
After this revelation, Rachel’s mission was ignited beyond her own business. She realised she could help countless other brands facing the same threats.
Fuelled by integrity, relentless tenacity, and a fierce commitment to justice, SnapDragon was founded. Its purpose: to stand guard for brands everywhere, monitoring the world’s marketplaces, identifying fakes, and removing illicit products, sellers, websites, app stores and NFTs with precision and speed. SnapDragon became more than a company – it became a movement, empowering businesses to defend their ideas and thrive in a fairer, safer digital marketplace.
“We believe that brand protection is about more than just removing fakes - it’s about applying the right online protection strategy for each individual business, safeguarding revenues, reputations and customers to enhance the way each brand is perceived in the world”
Contact us today to discover how SnapDragon can help you detect, enforce, and defend your products worldwide. Let’s work together to keep your business safe and your reputation strong.
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