Company Appoints Marie-Claire Trinh Van Hi and Bei Zhou as Global Brand Protection Analysts

 Santa Monica, CA (November 15, 2021) – Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG is establishing an anti-piracy department to protect the company’s intellectual property rights for its brands, content, and products in the global marketplace and manage counterfeit enforcement.  The immediate focus is for the company’s hit flagship brand, Miraculous™, Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, whose retail sales have generated over US$1B this year. The company’s anti-piracy efforts are spearheaded by Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Global Consumer Products.

Marie-Claire Trinh Van Hi and Bei Zhou have been appointed as Global Brand Protection Analysts.  Both will report to Christophe Vallade, Vice President, Global E-Commerce, and work in conjunction with the company’s Senior Vice President Legal & Litigation, Ben Johnson.  In their new roles, the two analysts will scan every online marketplace to detect, report and remove all counterfeit content and merchandise, lead legal investigations to reduce counterfeit supplies, and protect the company’s content by analyzing websites and social media.

Trinh Van Hi has an impressive legal background and extensive experience in online brand protection.  Before joining ZAG, Trinh Van Hi served as a brand analyst at Corporation Service Company; and prior as analyst and sub team leader at UK-based Incopro for intellectual property rights protection. She holds three master’s degrees in Judicial Careers, Legal Translation and International Family Law and a dual bachelor’s degree in Law & English.

Zhou will ensure online brand protection with a specific focus on the Asian marketplaces. She has a brand protection background with specific experience on Asian platforms, and previously served as a Brand Protection Consultant for Insiders Corp based in Paris.

“ZAG has seen staggering growth over the past few years, with retail sales for Miraculous hitting over one billion dollars this year, and any brand that has amassed such a passionate following creates opportunities for counterfeit content and goods to be created,” commented Julian Zag. “Together with dedicated local counterfeit enforcement agencies, our new team will work to ensure that all products and content that fans engage with are approved by ZAG offering the quality and satisfaction they have come to expect.

Vallade, who joined ZAG in April 2021, is in charge of defining, implementing, and managing the global e-commerce strategy for ZAG’s licensed products, overseeing online growth and brand positioning, working closely with the retail and licensing teams.  Johnson, who also joined ZAG this year, is responsible for all legal affairs, including litigation matters,  management and protection of an extensive worldwide trademark  portfolio, implementation of anti-counterfeiting measures, privacy concerns, risk management, negotiation of contracts for development, production and licensing of ZAG content, and other general legal issues.

About ZAG
ZAG America, LLC is a global independent entertainment studio specializing in world-class storytelling across TV, film, and digital platforms. ZAG’s foundation is rooted in compelling characters, limitless imagination, and masterful storytelling infused with original musical scores. The company is home to world-class entertainment properties under the ZAG HEROEZ label, including Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and the upcoming titles Power Players (2019) and Ghost Force. Founded in France in 2009, visionary director and composer Jeremy Zag further expanded the company to the USA in 2012 – establishing a creative headquarters, known as the “ZAG Lab,” and the Global Brand Franchise office in Santa Monica, California with a focus on developing content beyond the screen into lifestyle brands covering a broad array of touchpoints.

www.zag.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/miraculousladybug

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