They used to run for foreign “milka chocolate”, today they run for our coffee pots, brandy, and "medeno srce" – Serbian producers become most common counterfeiting target

People who walked through the capital without noticing 3 “milka” chocolate for RSD 100 are rare. With the crisis, the price increased as well so now only two are sold at RSD 100 although in shops it is a price for a piece. There are no doubts these products are counterfeit and it particularly becomes clear when a producer writes “milke” instead of “milka”.

It has been some time now since not only foreign producers are copied. The number of copied local brands which are struggling in market and legal battle is on the increase.

Everything can be counterfeit, for instance, counterfeit Metalac dishes, Pionir’s candies. Rubin’s, brandy, Swisslion euro cream.

Since it has had these kinds of experience, Metalac cooperates closely with the Customs and authorized inspections.

(Metalac Turkish coffee pot) – Of course it is important for us to defend from these kind of situations, both for the effects they have on sales and even more because we care to preserve reputation of our brand and save our customers from copies with lower quality. Our loyal customers defend us as well through their direct calls and warnings when they have doubts that products are counterfeit– the General Manager of Metalac, Petrasin Jakovljevic, says.

It is important to outline there are two kinds of counterfeit products. The first one is difficult to be recognized since every detail is copied and original producer is signed just like in the Metalac case. The second kind are products which officially have other producer’s name but packing, name and other brand elements indicate at the existing items at the market. Pionir has recently had that case.
Namely, a few weeks ago, copies of three products of confectionary company, Subotica-based Pionir. As it was stated, copies of negro candies, medeno srce (honey heart) and mignon cubes are sold. Pionir thus reminded it protected the products with the brand and that it is very often a target for counterfeiting, mainly by foreign companies.

Pionir mentioned that producer of counterfeit negro candies is Macedonian, Evropa Skopje, and importer for Serbia is Uzice-based Inter-Gorex, while distributor is Nis-based Makedo Evropa.

(Originals are on the left originals, copies are on the right)

Producer of counterfeit”medeno srce” is Vincinni (through its company- Makprogres Vinica, Republic of Macedonia), and importer for Serbia is Nis-based Kozmetik plus. Loznica-based Nelly is producer of counterfeit mignon cubes.

Miroljub Aleksic, president of Alco Group which comprises Pionir, warned before that that Milka (i.e. Kraft which owns the milka brand) counterfeited their medeno srce.

Who should react?

Market inspection reacts in most of the cases when it receives a charge which noticed its product is counterfeit. When the inspection finds a counterfeit product, it withdraws it from the market, replenishes it and destroys and the legal producer get all the data on the basis of which it can initiate a court dispute for compensation of damage.

Jelena Djelic

Ministarstvo turizma i omladine Republike Srbije

Metalac a.d. Gornji Milanovac

Pionir doo Beograd

Rubin a.d. Kruševac

Swisslion-Takovo d.o.o. Beograd

Swisslion d.o.o. Beograd

Uprava Carina Beograd

Inter Gorex Užice

Makedo Evropa d.o.o. Niš

Alco group d.o.o. Beograd

Evropa ad Skopje

Market inspection

milka

milke

copies

brandy

euro krem

Swisslion

Customs Directorate

Turkish coffee pot with rug print

Petrašin Jakovljević

negro candies

mignon cubes

honey heart

medeno srce

Kraft

Alko grupa