What is Brand Protection?
The field of brand protection centers around how to minimize risks and threats to the integrity and intrinsic value of a brand. A brand is usually made up of its core components, its people, its products or services, its reputation and its relevance in the market. Brand Protection therefore focuses on the protection of these elements. In this context, Brand Protection also refers to the strategies, processes, programs, tactics, actions, and measurements a company implements to safeguard its brand from intellectual property infringements, including counterfeiting and copyright piracy, restricting illicit diversion, protecting the legitimate supply chain, and ensuring that the brand’s reputation, product and consumer safety remains intact.
Professional Certificates in Brand Protection
The A-CAPP Center’s new non-credit, online, professional education provides essential resources for individuals interested in brand protection and illicit trade of goods or those looking to deepen their understanding and explore diverse perspectives from two contexts: introductory and practice. If you are responsible for protecting brands, investigating threats, enforcing laws, managing supply chains, or reducing risk, these courses are designed for you.
Professional Certificate in Foundations of Brand Protection
The Foundations Certificate offers a comprehensive set of 18 fundamental Brand Protection courses, including 16 courses divided into seven tracks, plus two introductory courses. Learners may customize their experience through our different enrollment options. Those desiring a comprehensive A to Z overview of the fundamentals of Brand Protection are encouraged to enroll in the complete Foundations Certificate program.
Professional Certificate in Applied Brand Protection
Coming in late 2025.
Each course is designed to introduce foundational concepts in brand protection while offering critical insights into the tools, technologies and strategies available. These are firmly rooted in the Center’s academic research and education on these topics as well as best practices and learnings applicable across various industries.
IS IT FOR?
Any level & type of brand protection professional
MANY COURSES?
18 asynchronous courses
IS IT OFFERED?
100% online with access for 6 months
LONG IS A COURSE?
3-5 hours & self-paced
WHO SHOULD TAKE THE COURSES?
Anyone involved in brand protection, enforcement, risk management, or related fields can take these courses. Whether you are protecting a brand, enforcing laws, investigating threats, or managing risks, these courses provide essential knowledge to help you navigate the complexities of brand protection.
WHAT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD LEARNERS BE FROM?
Our learners come from across a wide spectrum of roles, educational backgrounds, industries and organizations, including among others:
WHAT PROFESSION TYPES DO LEARNERS WORK IN?
This training is ideal for professionals in roles such as:
WHAT TYPES OF INDUSTRIES SHOULD LEARNERS BE FROM?
Learners come from multiple industries involved in brand protection work, including but not limited to:
WHAT ORGANIZATION SIZE SHOULD LEARNERS BE FROM?
These courses benefit professionals from businesses of all sizes:
Courses by Topic Areas
Courses are divided by topic areas below. Courses can be taken individually or as part of a certificate. Current offerings are courses at the foundations level and the Professional Certificate in Foundations of Brand Protection.
- COURSE TOPIC AREA
- Legal Frameworks of Brand Protection
- Value Chain Integrity for Brand Protection
- Illicit Trade Analytics for Intellectual Property
- Technology Capabilities for Brand Protection
- Investigations & Enforcement for IP Crime and Brand Protection
- Governance, Stakeholder Engagement, & Strategies for Brand Protection
- Brand Protection Awareness, Education, & Patnerships
Course 103: Global Legal Frameworks
Designed for non-lawyers or lawyers wanting a refresher on the laws impacting brand protection efforts, this course will explore specific legal actions for enforcing the intellectual property rights of brand owners. You will gain an understanding of how intellectual property rights, which are intangible assets, play a vital role in a brand’s success. You will learn about various types of intellectual property protection, including trademarks, patents, and copyrights, as well as other legal strategies such as contracts.
Course 104: Global Intellectual Property Portfolio Management
This course will teach you how to effectively manage an intellectual property (IP) portfolio. You will learn to identify important assets, conduct IP audits, and plan strategically. The course will cover the basics of adding assets to a brand’s IP portfolio, registering and recording IP, as well as the importance of proactive monitoring and portfolio management as a way of building and securing the brand protection’s infrastructure. You will also discover tactics for enforcing a brand’s IP rights against bad actors and understand the role of various stakeholders in protecting the brand.
Course 105: Value Chain Integrity
This course aims to give you a fundamental understanding of the value chain. You will start by defining what the value chain is and explore its various functions, along with outlining the various supply chain functions and their role in the value chain. The course will cover the fundamental aspects of how legitimate and illicit supply chains operate within the global marketplace. The course will also highlight key points to consider when addressing value chain integrity in the context of brand protection.
Course 106: Value Chain Policies and Procedures
This course aims to give you a fundamental understanding of several policies and procedures that can be incorporated into a brand’s value chain or end-to-end supply chain from a brand protection perspective. The brand’s value chain encompasses all activities within the company that add value to the product for the consumer, making a value chain analysis more robust than a supply chain analysis. You will learn some fundamental concepts on how the brand can approach product authenticity, mitigate the risks of counterfeits, and maintain transparency at every stage of the supply chain.
Course 107: Market Intelligence
This course focuses on the ongoing commitment needed to protect a brand by gathering and analyzing information to identify risks. A brand’s distinctiveness is crucial for differentiating it in the marketplace. However, counterfeits and pirated goods can confuse consumers and harm the brand’s reputation. You’ll learn the importance of measuring brand equity, understanding competitors, and addressing threats to maintain the brand’s integrity.
Course 108: Disruption of the Illicit Supply Chain
This course outlines various fundamental approaches to disrupt illicit supply chains to protect the brand. You will learn to define what disruption means in this context and how targeting key elements of illicit trade can dismantle these operations. The course covers tactics to combat illicit goods, including counterfeiting and unauthorized distribution, as well as business frameworks and strategies to proactively disrupt illicit trade and strengthen supply chain resilience. Additionally, you will explore how AI, machine learning, network analysis, and cybersecurity tools contribute to disrupting illicit supply chains.
Course 109: Illicit Trade Analytics
This course focuses on the importance of building the fundamental aspects of an effective Illicit Trade Analytics (ITA) program. You will learn the core concepts, purpose, and structured approach needed for this program. The course covers the role of both foundational and advanced technologies in detecting and mitigating illicit trade activities. You will understand the importance of using data-driven methodologies to detect patterns, trends, and vulnerabilities, and the role of translating these findings into actionable strategies. Additionally, you will learn how insights from these analyses can empower businesses, law enforcement, and technology providers to address specific illicit trade challenges and optimize resource allocation and enforcement outcomes.
Course 110: Brand Protection Technologies
This course will teach you about the crucial role of technology in brand protection programs. You will learn how key foundational technological applications enhance product security, supply chain transparency, and risk mitigation. The course covers the roles of technology providers, service providers, brands, guardians, and labs in deploying effective brand protection technologies. Additionally, you will understand how brand protection labs can support the disruption of the illicit supply chain by building intelligence to enhance the investigations and enforcement actions, while enhancing value chain integrity.
Course 111: Measurement & Metrics
This course aims to give you a fundamental understanding of frameworks for measuring the scope of illicit trade in goods and developing measures and metrics to assess their impact on the integrity and value of the brand and their threat to society. You will learn about illicit trade’s global scope and implications to inform brand protection strategies.
Course 112: Investigations by Intellectual Property Rights Holders
In this course, you will learn how brands can conduct focused investigations to protect their products and consumers from the threats by bad actors. The primary goal is to understand the importance of gathering accurate and reliable information to make informed decisions, solve problems, and determine actions to follow. The course will discuss how effective investigations help mitigate immediate threats and contribute to long-term strategies for brand integrity and consumer trust.
Course 113: Law Enforcement-Led Investigations
This course provides a unique perspective on investigations led by law enforcement, differing from those conducted by IP rights holders and covered in Course 112. Law enforcement led investigations focus primarily on criminal enforcement and some administrative enforcement, such as customs efforts. You will learn about the wide scope of law enforcement agencies involved in intellectual property crime enforcement, the types of criminal cases they handle, and how these cases evolve. The course will also discuss overlapping criminal issues.
Course 114: Risk Assessment in Various Contexts
This course aims to give you a fundamental understanding of how to define and assess the organization’s risk exposure to illicit trade in the context of brand protection. You will learn about the importance of conducting risk assessments, how all risk factors might be assessed, and the implications for your organization.
Course 115: Internal Governance of Intellectual Property Rights Holders
This course provides a comprehensive understanding of governance and strategies around brand protection. You will learn about the rules, policies, and standards that shape how the brand functions both inside and outside the organization. The course covers the addition of brand protection components to existing governance, tracking governance metrics, and understanding the roles of brand protection teams and stakeholders.
Additionally, the course discusses the unique aspects of brand protection, such as cost centers in brands and the need for a brand protection strategy.
Course 116: Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
This course provides a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder engagement and resource allocation in brand protection. You will learn about the internal stakeholders involved in brand protection, including the Brand Protection team, C-Suite, functional specialists, and other partners. The course covers the importance of aligning responsibilities and policies across the enterprise to ensure effective brand protection.
You will explore the importance of both informal and formal stakeholder engagement strategies, including building relationships, communication, and goal alignment. Additionally, the course will teach the importance of developing strategies to secure resources for brand protection activities, think creatively, and manage expectations with the resources available.
Course 117: Awareness, Education and Partnerships
This course provides a comprehensive understanding of how to engage external partners in brand protection efforts. You will learn about the ecosystem of entities involved, including those with overlapping and competing interests. The course covers important strategies of finding common interests, managing conflicting interests, and engaging with various external partners such as platforms, payment service providers, and other intermediaries.
You will explore effective communication and information-sharing strategies, including raising awareness and providing education to customs officials, law enforcement, academics, and consumers. The course also addresses the potential risks of educating bad actors and strategies for converting potential bad actors into allies. Additionally, you will learn the importance of measuring the effectiveness of communication efforts and demonstrating their impact.
Course 118: Consumer Behavior, Impact and Education
This course provides a comprehensive understanding of consumer issues in the specific context of brand protection. You will learn to identify and differentiate between various types of consumers, including traditional consumers, customers in various industries, and businesses in B2B operations. The course covers consumer behavior in purchasing counterfeit and pirated goods, the impact of these purchases, and provides a broad outlook on how to engage consumers through brand awareness.
WHAT DO I EARN IF I TAKE A COURSE OR ALL COURSES?
Participants will earn a certificate of completion for each course successfully completed. Certificates of completion are issued to learners through the learning platform.
WHAT DO I EARN IF I TAKE ALL COURSES IN A CERTIFICATE?
In addition to the certificate of course completion issued through the learning platform, participants will earn a Professional Certificate after successfully completing all required courses.
WHAT IS THE REQUIREMENT TO SUCCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A COURSE?
To successfully complete each course, you must pass a 20-question final assessment with a score of 80% or higher. Knowledge checks throughout the modules will help you prepare for the exam and you will have two attempts on the final assessment.
IF I START WITH ONE COURSE, CAN I DECIDE LATER TO COMPLETE THE ENTIRE CERTIFICATE?
Yes! If you start with one course, it will count toward a track or the full Certificate if you decide to continue. However, purchasing a single course makes you ineligible for Certificate enrollment discounts. You can also start with a track and later apply it toward the Certificate. In either case, be sure to let us know so we can adjust your learning plan.
DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE COURSES IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER?
You can take the courses in any order, but we recommend starting with Course 101: Fundamentals of Brand Protection and Course 102: Cultural Aspects Impacting Brand Protection before moving on to other courses.
WHAT OTHER INFORMATION SHOULD I BE AWARE OF BEFORE TAKING A COURSE OR CERTIFICATE?
Learners should read our certificate program policies for more important information prior to starting.
WHAT IF I HAVE PRIOR ENROLLMENTS IN COURSES UNDER THE 17-COURSE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE IN ANTI-COUNTERFEITING AND BRAND PROTECTION?
Learners will have access and need to complete these courses by September 30, 2025. Certificates of completion will be issued until this date for any courses in progress. If you previously earned certificates of completion and need to redownload any, you will have until September 30, 2025 to do so. If you have additional questions or needs please contact Rachael Roy or Sara Heeg.
Enrollment Options
As part of our goal to provide customized learning opportunities, the A-CAPP Center offers several enrollment options. Whether you want to take one course or an entire certificate, we have an option for you.
Whatever your interests, we suggest starting with our introductory courses, Course 101: Fundamentals of Brand Protection and Course 102: Cultural Aspects Impacting Brand Protection. After taking the introductory courses, you can then move on to what interests you, whether that is getting a better understanding of the value chain, identifying the elements of market intelligence, or steps required for brand or law enforcement-led investigations.
Standard Pricing
PER COURSE
18 COURSE CERTIFICATE
Foundations in Brand Protection
Courses 101-118
Bulk Pricing
20% OFF
PER COURSE
19-50 courses
30% OFF
PER COURSE
51-99 courses
40% OFF
PER COURSE
100+ courses
Additional
20% OFF
Government, Law Enforcement & Military
