Sales of private brands jumped by double digits in the first quarter of 2020 as U.S. consumers stocked up on groceries and daily essentials during the initial phase of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) and Nielsen.

It is now well accepted that virtually all brands, from the utmost recognized to the newly eager, face an unprecedented onslaught of counterfeiting and gray market trading. In emerging countries, this menace is bold and audacious, with outright fakes appearing in the open marketplace. In developed countries, the problem is equally insidious due to online propagation of counterfeit products through e-commerce platforms.