The independent animation studio behind the hit Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir brand, Zag is establishing an anti-piracy department to protect its IP rights for its brands, content and products in the global marketplace.
The immediate focus is on flagship brand Miraculous, which has generated retail sales of over US$1 billion this year.
The company’s anti-piracy efforts will be spearheaded by Julian Zag, evp global operations and head of global consumer products.
In addition, Marie-Claire Trinh Van Hi (pictured above right) and Bei Zhou (pictured above left) have been appointed as global brand protection analysts.
Both will report to Christophe Vallade, vp global ecommerce, and work in conjunction with the company’s svp legal and litigation, Ben Johnson.
In their new roles, the two analysts will scan every online marketplace to detect, report and remove all counterfeit content and merchandise, lead legal investigations to reduce counterfeit supplies and protect the company’s content by analyzing websites and social media.
“ZAG has seen staggering growth over the past few years, with retail sales for Miraculous hitting over one billion dollars this year, and any brand that has amassed such a passionate following creates opportunities for counterfeit content and goods to be created,” commented Julian. “Together with dedicated local counterfeit enforcement agencies, our new team will work to ensure that all products and content that fans engage with are approved by ZAG offering the quality and satisfaction they have come to expect.”
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