As the leading seller of soccer shoes, Adidas AG has long been an official sponsor of the World Cup. And every four years, when the tournament rolls around, its shoe sales rise. But typically, counterfeiters — primarily in China — also spring into production. That’s what Adidas found in 1998 and 2002, according to customs seizures, market surveys, and reports from outside investigators.
However, during last year’s World Cup, while demand for its shoes jumped, there was no corresponding rise in fake Adidas footwear in China, according to those same indicators. “Zero,” says Ray Tai, head of Adidas’ intellectual property rights enforcement in Asia. In fact, in 2006 the number of counterfeit shoes seized in China plunged 20 percent, from 480,000 pairs in 2005 to 385,000, despite the same level of enforcement efforts.
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