SCOTTISH tech company SnapDragon has launched an automated brand monitoring platform to combat the threat of fake goods, covering markets from toys to electrical items.

The Edinburgh-based firm has created Swoop to wage war on online criminal gangs of counterfeiters across all sectors with the first software of its type to be publicly available.

The skills and specialist knowledge built up by the company’s team of linguists and IP experts over three years of manually searching for fakes and working in partnership with the world’s busiest online marketplaces has shaped the design of Swoop, which automates that process. It marks a major change for international online brand protection, which was previously unaffordable for most.

By offering Swoop as software as a service (SaaS) and at a price SMEs can afford, SnapDragon gives all companies access to a world-class, robust, brand protection strategy.

Company founder Rachel Jones, who is pictured with head of research Jet Doran, said: “Fake goods can destroy brands. I should know; it very nearly happened to me. I took action to fight back and have spent the last few years helping other companies do the same.

“Today we are automating that process. By enabling companies, large and small, to find fakes, and by empowering them with the knowledge to take action, sales of counterfeit goods can be prevented, brands and the consumer can both be kept safe, businesses remain profitable and fund flow to criminal enterprises cut.”

Mandy Haeburn-Little, CEO of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) said: “I am genuinely delighted to see a company as respected, nimble and visionary as SnapDragon emerge. Scotland has an excellent reputation for innovation and Rachel Jones is one of those rare and outstanding individuals prepared to stand up and safeguard the wider interests of the whole legitimate business community.

“Ironically, counterfeits and fake goods are areas where there has been considerable entrepreneurship as malicious and reckless companies have seen the opportunity to make a fast buck, regardless of the ruthless damage they cause – whether this be physical, financial or to infrastructure.

“It is precisely because of these insidious and entirely malicious companies that we need champions in the world of protection.

“Rachel Jones and SnapDragon are at the forefront of this activity in Scotland, the wider UK and internationally. For any company trading online, you need to look at SnapDragon.”

The software is fast and easy to use, and helps brands of any size find counterfeits and copycat goods being sold online and subsequently report them for removal.