Shure Scores Major Victory Against Counterfeiters

Knockoff products have been around forever, but they weren’t always a big problem for the audio industry. Unless you bought speakers from a guy in an unmarked white van in the Sears parking lot, you usually didn’t have to worry about getting scammed in the pre-internet era. Now, the audio marketplace has become perilous, especially for those hunting for deals on the used market, or from bargain-basement discounters. Even those audio customers who would prefer to buy from a local retailer often must shop online simply because brick-and-mortar retailers are few and far between in many parts of the world. Buying online doesn’t have to be risky if you know where to shop, and we always recommend brand-authorized retailers like or channel partners Audio Advice and Dreamedia. 

But anytime a company achieves major brand recognition — whether it’s Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Apple, Sony, or Bose — there will be someone out there trying to make a buck by selling counterfeit goods. Shure, the maker of headphones, microphones, and audio electronics used around the world, has been battling counterfeiters for years. The brand’s SM57 and SM58 microphones are probably the most popular dynamic microphones on Earth. Because of this, fakes are being sold all over the internet. Shure has an ongoing worldwide effort to find and stop entities that produce counterfeit Shure products, and to remove counterfeit goods from online storefronts. According to Shure, it is an effort that never ends. In recent years, Shure has collaborated with two other international audio equipment brands to address a network in China engaged in the large-scale manufacture and export of counterfeit products, and together, Shure and its partners have scored a major win.

In May of 2023, Shure learned about a network of nine entities that were producing fake Shure products in China and exporting them throughout Southeast Asia. This network reportedly operated more than 80 online stores in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where unsuspecting customers were being duped into buying fake junk. These counterfeit products are even sold in some stores, but the internet makes it all too easy to fool customers who think they’re finding a great deal on genuine Shure products. Working with an IP services business called Rouse, and its strategic partner firm, Lusheng, Shure and two other audio equipment manufacturers coordinated action against the counterfeit operation. The group then liased with China’s police force in the province, the Guangdong Province Public Security Bureau (PSB). The PSB (not to be confused with the Canadian loudspeaker manufacturer) launched simultaneous raids against the targets in August of 2023, seizing counterfeit products at several locations. Through careful forensic accounting, the PSB was able to investigate the trading company at the heart of the network, discovering records of more than $1.7 million in sales of counterfeit products from international brands. Nearly $900,000 came from the sale of counterfeit Shure products.

In December of 2024, seven suspects were convicted and sentenced, receiving anywhere between two and four-and-a-half years of prison time, and fines totaling $1.1 million. After the case concluded, Shure and one of its partners also reached settlement agreements with the suspects, who were forced to agree to “considerable compensation,” according to a statement from Shure in March of 2025.

We are grateful to China’s PSB, prosecutors, and courts for showing determination to fight these counterfeit crimes. Counterfeit products hurt everyone, including customers and authorized retailers, and we will continue to protect our brand from these illegal activities. Shure has been in business for 100 years and we want our customers to experience the quality of a genuine Shure product.

— Eric McAlpine, Shure’s Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

To protect yourself from counterfeit goods, Shure recommends buying gear only through authorized retailers. In the United States, Shure’s website includes a dealer locator. You can also call Shure directly at 800-25-SHURE (800-257-4873) or visit the Shure service support website. If you are outside of the United States, contact the Shure agent for your country. If you are buying from an individual or from a second-hand music store, there are still some steps you can take to avoid fakes. Shure recommends getting an idea of typical selling prices for the product that interests you. If the price you find online is much lower than other comparable listings, be cautious. An unusually low price does not always indicate a counterfeit product, but it should be considered suspicious. 

When purchasing a Shure product (or any audio product) via eBay or other online auction sites, try to find honest individuals and legitimate dealers by carefully reading their reviews and sales history. Online auction sites are among the hardest to police, and there are many people selling counterfeit products via these channels. Shure says to pay attention to the country of origin for these listings. If the Internet auction site dealer is in a different country, “history has proven that many counterfeit Shure products are being sold from one country into another,” according to Shure.

Shure tells us that many customers have sent in images of products hoping for confirmation that they are the genuine Shure article, but images are not always sufficient. Many differences are subtle and cannot be adequately described in words or represented in photos, according to Shure. These include details like the texture or shade of a product’s outer finish, or the way it feels in the hand. Shure says that many customers have requested a list of ways to determine if a product is a counterfeit, but the company does not provide this information. If Shure published the exact differences between genuine Shure products and the counterfeit products currently being sold, the criminal counterfeiters would simply use this information to improve their fakes. That would not help Shure, nor would it help Shure’s customers in the long run. Still, it’s comforting knowing that companies like Shure are fighting the good fight and doing everything possible to protect their customers (and, of course, themselves) from the shady business of fake audio gear.