How to prevent product piracy using a new TRIZ-based methodology

In recent years, product and brand piracy has significantly gained importance and risen to a worldwide mass phenomenon. Companies are gradually facing up to the challenge and taking action. Besides legal measures, an increasing number of firms is also willing to implement strategic and technical measures into their organisations respectively products. But the potential of these approaches is so far only being exploited to a limited extent, mainly due to lacking knowledge regarding the functionality and benefits of technical know-how protection mechanisms.Focusing on this issue, the paper introduces the so called Product Piracy Conflict Matrix (PPC Matrix). The PPC Matrix methodically resembles the well-established TRIZ Contradiction Matrix and is also based on Neemann's work (2007), who recently introduced a new approach for product-based imitation protection including a set of technical, strategic, organisational and legal instruments. The PPC Matrix combines both approaches to a new framework to help companies to find expedient measures against product piracy.The article introduces the new methodology by giving detailed insights into its theoretical backbone, providing practitioner's guidance and outlining examples from industry practice.