An Edinburgh-based platform which uses artificial intelligence to detect counterfeit products online has appointed a new head of brand protection.

SnapDragon Monitoring, a business that was started through a desire by its founder to protect her own product from copy, has hired Paul Chung in the new role.

Following a year of expansion, which has seen the start-up work with high-profile brands including Harris Tweed, Morphsuits and Glencairn Crystal, Chung joins the business along with no less than 21 other new hires in the last 12 months.

Chung brings with him five years of experience as a brand protection specialist, having worked with some of the industry’s well-known providers and many household brands. His new position will see him investigating prolific, infringing sellers and driving clients’ business growth.

Rachel Jones, Founder and CEO of SnapDragon Monitoring, said: “Paul brings real expertise to the brand protection team. His experience in combatting IP infringements of major brands will be invaluable as he works with our client base to protect their online sales. And he joins us at an exciting time of growth for SnapDragon.”

Chung said: “I’m thrilled to be joining SnapDragon’s dynamic team of multilingual brand protection specialists at this time of expansion, and I look forward collectively to putting a huge dent in the number of counterfeit goods for sale on online marketplaces.

“SnapDragon Monitoring’s intelligent online monitoring system is the most effective, fast and affordable brand protection service available, and I am excited to be part of its journey.”

SnapDragon Monitoring provides online brand protection using its innovative Swoop technology to find and eliminate fake products and unauthorised sellers from the world’s busiest online selling platforms, such as Amazon and Alibaba. It has worked with well-known brands, including Harris Tweed, Morphsuits and Glencairn Crystal, to name a few.

To accommodate its growth, SnapDragon Monitoring has moved into new, larger premises in Scotland’s capital. The business expects to recruit further in the next 12 months, predominately within its technology team.

SnapDragon Monitoring was recently listed in BusinessCloud’s Scotland Tech 50 list for 2019 alongside other Edinburgh businesses FreeAgent and Money Dashboard.