Numantica

We investigate who is behind infringements against your brand.

Removing a listing, link or account stops that infringement. If you choose, our team of licensed private investigators investigates who organises it, using the information already gathered through monitoring and verifying it in the field. You receive a report with the observed facts, dates, sources and evidence obtained, so your legal team can assess how to act.

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We combine digital analysis with field investigations.

  1. 01

    Online activity analysis

    Who operates the accounts, who repeatedly infringes and which connections suggest that multiple accounts belong to the same operation.

  2. 02

    Investigating the person responsible

    Licensed private investigators establish the subject's activities through on-site or remote investigation.

How a case is investigated.

I

Digital case analysis

Before taking action in the field, we investigate the case online. We use the information already gathered through platform monitoring and add open-source analysis: the identities operating accounts, sellers sharing photos, payment gateways or shipping routes, and connections pointing to a possible common operator. Those connections are then verified.

We use this to decide with you where to intervene: whom to follow, what to buy, which address to verify and what can be established. Monitoring narrows the case to a few targets; operational investigation verifies them.

II

Operational investigation

Operational investigations can take two forms:

  1. 01

    Making contact and carrying out a test purchase, online or offline, as a customer, wholesale buyer or service user: buying a counterfeit product, subscribing to a pirate site or ordering from an impersonating account. We document what is received, who collects payment and from where.

  2. 02

    Field investigation: surveillance, following subjects and verification to understand how they operate and identify sales channels, warehouses and contact networks. When the activity is entirely digital, the target is the person or company behind the domain, hosting and payments.

We coordinate international operations through a network of partners. We assess the feasibility and scope of each case.

III

The investigation report

You receive a report setting out the observed facts, dates, sources and evidence obtained so your legal team can assess how to act. It objectively describes what was observed, when, where and by whom, both online and in the field.

Each fact in the report identifies who established it, when, where and with what supporting documentation, so your legal team can verify it.

Every report is signed by experienced, licensed private investigators who follow a code of ethics.

Infringements we investigate, online and offline.

We investigate potential infringements of trademarks, copyright, designs and other rights, online and in the field, according to the scope of each case.

  • Trademarks

    • Product counterfeiting and smuggling
    • Brand impersonation
    • Unlawful use of symbols, logos or visual identity
    • Commercial free-riding
    • Sale of illegal products
    • Sales through unauthorised channels
    • Misleading advertising

  • Software and databases

    • Use of unlicensed software, fake keys or pirated versions
    • Substantial extraction or reuse of protected databases

  • Patents and utility models

    • Unauthorised exploitation of a patented invention
    • Import or sale of products that infringe a patent

  • Derivative works and adaptations

    • Adapting, translating or transforming a work without the rights holder's permission

  • Circumvention of technical protection measures

    • Bypassing digital protection systems (DRM, copy protection)
    • Removing metadata or rights management information

  • Trade names and geographical indications

    • Misleading use of another party's trade name
    • Misuse of protected designations of origin or geographical indications

  • Industrial designs

    • Unauthorised reproduction of a product's appearance
    • Imitation or copying of a design that causes consumer confusion

  • Reproduction, distribution and communication to the public

    • Copying, distributing or communicating a work without authorisation
    • Making content available to the public through streaming or downloads without a licence
    • Distribution of unauthorised copies of software, books or audiovisual works

Four example scenarios.

What digital analysis contributes, what operational investigation adds and what the investigation delivers in four example scenarios.

  1. I

    Counterfeit network with online sales and a clandestine warehouse

    01Digital analysis

    • The system detects a group of marketplace and social media profiles selling a branded product at unusually low prices.
    • The images and descriptions match previously observed counterfeiting patterns.
    • Several different sellers use the same payment gateway and photographic style, suggesting a coordinated operation.

    02Operational investigation

    • A test purchase is carried out to confirm that the product is counterfeit.
    • Labelling and packaging help identify a possible common origin.
    • Using shipping information and package tracking, investigators verify on site the existence of a warehouse where stock is held.
    • The report combines digital and physical evidence so the client can submit it to law enforcement.

    What the investigation provides

    Identification of the warehouse holding the stock, documentation of the test purchase and package route, and a record of the connected sales accounts.

  2. II

    Official distributors involved in the grey market

    01Digital analysis

    • Monitoring detects a batch of genuine products on foreign platforms where the brand does not officially operate.
    • Product serial numbers match those assigned to authorised distributors in another region.
    • Open-source analysis connects seller accounts, reviews and shipping patterns.

    02Operational investigation

    • Investigators contact the seller covertly to understand volumes, availability and operating routines.
    • Origin addresses are checked through discreet observation to establish whether an official distributor or unauthorised intermediary is involved.
    • A verification purchase obtains batch codes and establishes the diversion from the official channel.

    What the investigation provides

    Batch codes and documentation of the product's origin and distribution route, along with identification of the intermediary, so the company can assess potential contractual breaches.

  3. III

    Influencer promoting counterfeits through external suppliers

    01Digital analysis

    • Monitoring detects an influencer promoting products described as ‘the same, but cheaper’.
    • The links lead to short-lived stores that change names every few weeks.
    • Network analysis identifies an external wholesale supplier serving several resellers.

    02Operational investigation

    • Covert contact is established with the supplier as a potential wholesale buyer.
    • The interaction provides prices, delivery times, volumes and the approximate storage location.
    • Surveillance, following subjects and on-site checks verify the logistics location, movements and flow of goods.
    • The report records the evidence so the client can decide which legal steps to take.

    What the investigation provides

    Identification of the wholesale supplier, documentation of prices, volumes and the logistics location, and a record of the resellers supplied.

  4. IV

    Network of pirate sites returning under new domains

    01Digital analysis

    • The platform detects the same catalogue of series and live matches served from several domains that change every few weeks.
    • The sites share a video player, advertising account and gateway used to collect ‘premium’ subscription payments.
    • Open-source analysis links the domains to the same registrant and a hosting provider that does not respond to reports.

    02Operational investigation

    • A test subscription is purchased and the payment documented: the billing entity, country and destination account.
    • The site is contacted as a prospective advertiser to obtain rates, audience figures and the operator's contact details.
    • Payment, registrant and hosting information identify the company operating the network and its address, which is verified in the field.
    • The report combines digital evidence and verification results so the client can file a complaint.

    What the investigation provides

    Details of the network operator, payment recipient, registrant and hosting, verified in the field, enabling action against the operator rather than each new domain.

The benefits of protecting your business.

  • Information to act at the source

    We identify and document those behind imitations and sales outside authorised channels, so you can act at the source rather than addressing each listing individually.

  • Safety for your customers

    Illegal copies often involve low-quality materials, unsafe processes and sometimes abusive labour practices. Detecting and removing them protects your customers.

  • Protection for your distribution network

    We analyse parallel operations by distributors and partners, along with grey market activity, to prevent reputational damage.

  • Strategic support for legal action

    We give your legal team the documentation needed to respond quickly and with evidence to those infringing your intellectual property.

  • Locating illegal production sites

    We trace counterfeits to identify factories, warehouses and distribution points, so you can act where they are made.

  • Documentation for the authorities

    When you choose, the documentation is prepared for submission to the authorities to support searches, seizures and field operations.

Want to know who is behind it?

Tell us what you have found. We assess the available indicators and propose an investigation scope.

Tell us about your case