It wasn’t long ago that we brought you the story about the impact counterfeit products were having on the archery industry.
In fact, it became a big enough problem that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations office got involved to help crack down on the issue. In the days following, it’s been good to see archery industry companies gaining ground and seeing justice served on those attempting to knock off their product. The most recent comes from our friends at the Bohning Company. Bohning recently busted archery counterfeiters in China following extensive research and investigation.
After years of investigations and significant expense, Chinese police and Bohning’s CEO/Owner Larry Griffith have taken down several Chinese counterfeit operations. Significant amounts of counterfeit archery goods were seized as a result of early morning raids conducted April 11th. It all began a few years ago when archers notified Bohning of what appeared to be poor-quality Blazer vanes. Upon receiving the vanes, Bohning quickly identified them as counterfeit.
Bohning is committed to protecting their extensive product line from counterfeiters.
All Bohning vanes are, and always have been, manufactured at the Bohning facility in Lake City, Michigan, United States. As a result, identifying the substandard material and processes used in these counterfeit vanes was not a difficult task for Bohning.
Leads from consumers and archery dealers proved key in establishing the large scale of counterfeit operations. Bohning worked in very close collaboration with lawyers in Beijing, as well as the Chinese police, whose assistance was instrumental.
“Not only do counterfeit goods undermine the research and development efforts our company puts into producing quality products, in the case of archery, they are a major safety risk. Take Bohning nocks, for example. We produce them all at the Bohning facility, and test them to the max to make sure they are capable of withstanding increasing bow speeds. The Bohning brand signifies quality and safety. When another company counterfeits those nocks, you can bet they haven’t put the work into it that we have. If that counterfeit nock fails and an archer’s bow blows up, who is going to take responsibility? Not the counterfeiter, that’s for sure.” – Larry Griffith, CEO and owner of Bohning Co., LTD
Bohning – proudly made in the USA.
Now that Bohning has shut down these counterfeit operations, analysts will determine the next steps.
“This is going to be a major boon to all of our distributors and dealers who are selling the real stuff.
Bohning – proudly made in the USA.
We’ve wiped out many illegitimate sources, and we’re not going to quit now.
Larry has been the driving force behind these take-downs, and all of us here at Bohning will continue to support his efforts.” – Holly Henrickson, Director of International Sales
Bohning has a longstanding history of manufacturing quality products. Since 1946, its manufacturing plants and headquarters have been located in Lake City, Michigan, United States. Bohning will continue to enforce its patents and trademarks to the fullest extent of the law.
What do you think about archery counterfeiters? Have you ever come across products for sale you suspected as counterfeit? Did you buy them? Would you? Comment below and let us know your thoughts on counterfeit products in the hunting industry.
