MSCHF

An art collective that revels in pushing the boundaries of creativity and thriving on the unconventional, MSCHF has gained recognition in recent years for challenging cultural norms. Their innovative projects, often satirical art pieces, have become sought-after as high-end fashion items, raising questions and sparking conversations in the art world and beyond.
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MSCHF’s diverse catalog weaves between fashion, technology, food, and other products, all aimed at making statements about culture by participating in the culture. Their work frequently involves appropriation art, evoking the intellectual property of well-known brands to convey their messages.

A notable success for MSCHF was the launch of the Big Red Boot. The item became immediately iconic, attracting the attention of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lil Nas X, Ciara, and Doja Cat.

The overnight hit put MSCHF squarely in the public eye, bringing acclaim and the attention of countless new fans. However, as many brands have experienced, this success brought its own unforeseen problems in the form of counterfeits.

The popularity of the Big Red Boot led to the rapid spread of cheap replicas and the unauthorized use of MSCHF’s branding.

Despite their success, MSCHF, still a small business at heart, found themselves unprepared for the onslaught of counterfeits. The brand’s initial response was to monitor misuse using their in-house resources.
John Belcaster, MSCHF’s General Counsel, launched an initiative to combat the influx of counterfeit products, struggling with the enormity of the task. His efforts included scouring online marketplaces for fakes, tracking progress in extensive spreadsheets, and aiming take-down notices at illicit infringers.

This challenge was made even more difficult by the high number of infringers coming from Asia. John optimistically expanded his own brand protection efforts to cover these channels, but struggled with a huge pushback from the start.

Enter MarqVision, a solution that stood out for its remarkable speed and efficiency in the removal of counterfeits before they have the time to build up damaging sales numbers.

MarqVision's comprehensive network, especially in Asian marketplaces such as DHgate, JD, and Alibaba, empowers MSCHF to efficiently combat infringers.

Given MSCHF's work as an art collective that frequently evokes third-party IP for commentary, critique, and parody, it is essential for them to have a provider that allows them to make selective enforcement decisions. MarqVision enables MSCHF to enforce their IP rights only when they choose, preventing the inadvertent takedown of legitimate sellers' or collaborators' listings.

Since collaborating with MarqVision, MSCHF has seen significant progress. In just six months, over 500 online listings for counterfeit items were removed, while scores of fair-use items were left untouched.

This enforcement has been especially effective in Asia, where 77% of MSCHF’s infringements occurred, demonstrating MarqVision’s strength in this region.

Additionally, MarqVision's data visualization tools have provided MSCHF with clear insights into the infringements, aiding in strategic data-driven decisions regarding their IP protection.