Brands
Schaeffler India cracks down on counterfeit products with major raids
MUMBAI: Schaeffler India, has ramped up efforts to eliminate counterfeit bearings and components from the market. In collaboration with local authorities, its brand protection team has carried out multiple successful raids in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, seizing fake products falsely marked with Schaeffler’s FAG, INA, and LuK brands.
Counterfeit products pose a significant risk to operational safety and performance, leading Schaeffler to strengthen its enforcement measures. Working closely with law enforcement, the company is actively tracking and dismantling unauthorised supply chains dealing in fake Schaeffler products.
Schaeffler India MD & CEO Harsha Kadam said “At Schaeffler, quality and reliability are at the core of everything we do. Counterfeit products not only compromise safety and performance but also erode trust in the industry. We are committed to eliminating counterfeit products from the market by undertaking stringent legal action, conducting awareness campaigns, and empowering customers with the right tools to identify genuine Schaeffler products.”
Schaeffler India urges customers to stay vigilant and verify authenticity before purchasing. Key identification measures include, products feature a unique identification code and two-dimensional barcode on packaging, which can be verified using the Schaeffler Origincheck app, henuine Schaeffler products display precise logos, fonts, and laser-marked details, customers should buy only from Schaeffler-authorised distributors to ensure product authenticity.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
