A Caerphilly company is creating 80 new jobs in the fight against counterfeit trade.

Wales – 1 November, 2017 – Incopro is expanding into offices at Britannia House in Caerphilly before the end of the year thanks to Welsh Government Capital Investment and Employment Aid, which will provide £500,000 to support the new posts, the relocation and the set up of the new office.

The company specialises in brand protection by tracking counterfeiters online and removing sellers of counterfeit products from the Internet. Its clients range from luxury goods companies to consumer product businesses and include BBC Worldwide and world-renowned fashion house Ted Baker.

With 2.5% of world trade counterfeited and predictions suggesting the global economic value of counterfeiting could reach $2.3 trillion by 2022, there is a critical need to deliver innovative technology solutions to prevent piracy, brand infringement, copyright and intellectual property (IP) theft.

Incopro combines the latest technology with multi-lingual staff enabling them to track fraud, detect counterfeiters, and investigate suspect websites.

The company was founded in 2012 by CEO and IP protection lawyer Simon Baggs and Chief Technical Officer and Systems Architect Bret Boivin, both passionate about IP and united in their belief that technology has a huge role to play in helping IP businesses to succeed online.

Talisman, the company’s carefully developed counterfeit detection technology, was launched in 2015 to unprecedented acclaim. The company has now outgrown its offices in London and needs approximately 80 new staff, mainly analysts and developers, in Caerphilly.

Following the finalisation of its investment in Wales, the company also announced collaboration with WR Investigations, a company already based in Wales that supports investigation into the offline networks that perpetrate counterfeiting in the UK and globally.

CEO Simon Baggs said: “We are committed to making the Internet a better place for businesses to prosper. A key element in achieving this is to cut out the sale of unlawful products and content. We are delighted to have secured Welsh Government support to further our mission and to deliver jobs and innovation in Wales.”

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “As we conduct more of our everyday lives on-line, it is vital we have the systems to protect us from a new wave of criminals. The services companies like Incopro provide are invaluable, both to the World economy and to the interests of the individual. I am delighted we could support their expansion, and welcome them to Wales, where I hope they will enjoy a successful future.”