Brand Protection
Protecting Cisco’s intellectual property
What We Do
Brand Protection protects Cisco, its customers, and its partners from the risks associated with grey market, service and warranty abuse, counterfeiting, and software theft.
Audits
Auditing deals and business practices to identify risks, mitigate harms, and thwart malicious activities
Investigations
Investigating suspected counterfeiting activity, software theft, service or warranty abuse, and related threats
Policy
Consulting with Legal, Finance, and other stakeholders to shape and enforce robust policies that protect Cisco’s channel integrity
Partnerships
Partnering with enforcement agencies to combat fraud, theft, and other criminal activity that jeopardizes Cisco’s reputation or partner and customer trust and safety
Thought Leadership
Contributing thought leadership to industry organizations, such as AGMA Global, that guides effective response to constantly evolving gray market and counterfeit risks
Innovation
Collaborating with Cisco’s Engineering and Security & Trust organizations to develop technologies that help prevent and detect counterfeit and other product abuses
Buy Authorized Cisco
Products purchased from unauthorized sources may be:
Counterfeit
Counterfeit products were not manufactured by Cisco or with Cisco’s consent
Diverted
Diverted products may not correctly identify you as the product’s end user in Cisco’s warranty, service, support, or software licensing systems
Stolen
The products may have been acquired through theft from the original end user or resold without the end user’s consent
Old
The product may be at the end of life or end of support
Compromised
The product may have been altered to be less secure or to introduce unknown risks to your network or data security
Products purchased from unauthorized sources are not eligible for:
Support
Cisco products purchased from unauthorized sources are typically not eligible for Cisco support
Warranty
Only new or refurbished Cisco products purchased from an authorized Cisco reseller are eligible for Cisco warranty
End User License
Cisco products purchased from an unauthorized source do not come with a valid software license
For more about Cisco’s contracts, offers, General Terms, and Supplemental Terms, visit Cisco Customer Contract Experience.
Identify Counterfeit and Non-Genuine Products
Understanding Cisco product security labels can help partners and customers identify non-genuine products:
Carton
Often found overlapping the edge of the carton's label
PCBA
Security labels are found on many printed circuit board assemblies
Module
Holographic security indicators are on most optical transceivers and high-speed cable assemblies
Do you already have Cisco equipment?
Brand Protection (BP) can perform a complimentary verification of the authenticity of your Cisco networking devices
Connect with Us
Contact Brand Protection for help with or to report suspected counterfeit, product diversion, or activity outside authorized buying channels