Today, even a small business can be a multinational. Yet to operate globally without the associated resources can stretch any company too thin. That is why SMI inaugurated the Investigations and Research Division (IRD). Whether you are a large corporation looking for highly specialized business intelligence, or a medium sized business looking to expand your reach, SMI has the expertise to help magnify your impact. At the IRD we maintain an elite staff of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), practitioners and academics to meet any need at a moment’s notice.
At SMI we use a variety of professional information services, sophisticated web-based search engines, and proprietary knowledge mining tools to deliver the highest quality intellectual material. We conduct research in a variety of languages, subjects and a range of professional disciplines with a domestic or international scope. Our undertakings span political, military, commercial, financial, technical and scientific fields. We have investigated multinational relationships, organization movements across sovereign boundaries or geographic regions, activities of individuals or organizations, and developments in particular industries or business sectors.
Intellectual Property Protection/Counterfeiting Investigations
It is estimated that over $300 billion dollars worth of Intellectual Property (IP) is stolen each year from American businesses. In today’s highly competitive, global business environment, this theft can result in the loss of trade secrets, research and development ideas, patents and formulas, proprietary products, and investment/bidding strategies. So great has the problem of corporate IP theft become, corporate espionage actually ranks second behind terrorism as the FBI’s chief concern to the US homeland.
As SMI, we specialize in intellectual property protection and loss prevention. We specifically focus on the theft of trade secrets and infringements on products, which can directly impact our clients’ reputation, liability, and market share. By focusing on the supply chain of counterfeit merchandise, such as clothing, pirated videos/CDs, pharmaceuticals and electronics, we are able to determine the source of this counterfeiting and disrupt operations. The key to our success is linking the considerable resources and efforts of the private sector with law enforcement partners on local, state, federal, and international levels.
SMI associates have considerable expertise in conducting counterfeiting investigations throughout Latin America, having identified and seized millions of dollars worth of counterfeit goods over the years.
Some of the counterfeit merchandise that we have experience investigating includes:
- Cellphones
- SIM cards
- Luxury goods (handbags, jewelry, watches, pens, etc.)
- Automotive and machine parts
- Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- DVDs/CDs
- Designer clothing and accessories
- Athletic apparel
- “Dummy” websites and URL addresses
"Competitive intelligence is a systematic and ethical program for gathering, analyzing and managing information that can affect a company's plans, decisions, and operations."
-Harvard Business School
Unlike corporate espionage, competitive intelligence is the legal and ethical means to keep track of your business competitors. At SMI, our highly-skilled research team is able to utilize public sources to gather data on our clients' competition, as well as monitor their market environment. This data is then transferred, via analysis, into intelligence to assist our clients' into making business decisions.
Running a company requires constant vigilance and dedication to the tasks at hand. SMI is here to keep an eye on the competition for our clients so their focus can safely remain on doing what they love.
Service Samples
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Due-Diligence
know who you are doing business with
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Fraud Investigations
find out if you have been scammed, and by whom
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Country Profiles
what to know when traveling or expanding in a new country
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Industry Profiles
know who the key players are before you invest or expand
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Public Figure Profiles
what material is available to the public about an individual
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Company Profiles
what material is available to the public about a company
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Social Media Profiles
see how your image is depicted on social sites
ADDRESS
8000 Towers Crescent Dr.
Suite 1350, Vienna,
VA 22182 United States
Telephone : (703) 893-8000
info@smiconsultancy.com