NEW SURVEY REVEALS DECEPTION IN WEB WATCH FIRMS' ADVERTISING

NEW YORK, NY… June 12, 2003...

A survey just concluded by Kessler International, the leader in Brand Protection, has uncovered that many of the web monitoring firms are leading clients to believe that images or brand logos can be searched over the entire internet in a matter of a few short days. The truth is: they’re misleading clients to believe they’re getting a service that in reality cannot be done!

What They’re Saying

Many search firms are touting their newest “technology,” which they say can scan the entire World Wide Web, and detect images, logos, or brands that are being used online. Brochures, and advertisements proclaim that they have “trademark and image recognition technology,” while others claim to use “intelligent software agents” to scan and digest millions of web pages, message postings, images and other web content to locate the target picture or logo.

What Is Reality

Out of all the search firms we surveyed, only one truly has the capability to search for logos, pictures, and patterns on the web, on a large scale. This firm uses a costly super-computer, with a large storage facility, and the search investigation takes at least two months. Far from the “few days” many monitoring firms claim for the same service. Additionally, the one company that can do large scale searches revealed to us that they don’t even have the capability to search the entire World Wide Web. It’s frankly not possible to do that.

What to Watch Out For

Michael Kessler, President & CEO of Kessler International suggests that if you’re seeking assistance to monitor cyberspace, there are a couple key things you should watch out for:

Size Matters & Timing is Everything

When asking an internet watch firm if they can search for images and patterns, ask the firm how expansive the search is. If the firm tells you that they can search the entire internet, you’re not getting the whole truth. They’ll do the search for you, and they may catch a limited number of infringing images, but they never searched the entire internet. Another good question to ask is how long the process will take for them to run the search they market. If the firm tells you that the search can be done in a couple days, it’s the tell-tale sign that you’re clearly not going to get what you’re expecting.

ABOUT KESSLER INTERNATIONAL

Founded in 1988 Kessler International is one of the most recognized names in the world as the leader in Brand Protection, Intellectual Property Investigations, International Corporate Investigations, Forensic Accounting and Computer Forensics. With offices worldwide their investigators, forensic accountants and computer forensic technicians provide consulting, litigation support and expert testimony to the most prominent companies in the world. For more information about Kessler International please visit the company's website at www.investigation.com or contact Tom Coogan at 212 286-9100.