The corona pandemic has also given product piracy a new boost. “Criminal networks have rapidly adapted to new opportunities and demand for products created by the pandemic,” according to a report released on Monday by the EU Intellectual Property Agency (EUIPO) in Alicante, southern Spain, and Europol. This applies, for example, to masks and other personal protective equipment against corona infection. A total of 66 million counterfeit items were seized by EU authorities in 2020, a slight decrease compared to the last year before the pandemic.
Although most of the counterfeits and imitations continue to come primarily from China and other Asian countries, the production of such inferior and sometimes life-threatening goods within the EU has increased significantly. This is indicated by the increased number of counterfeit packaging materials and preliminary products for counterfeits confiscated at the EU’s external borders. This highlights the extent and trends of counterfeit goods across the EU and underscores the potentially serious harm to the health of consumers and legitimate businesses, said EUIPO Executive Director Christian Archambeau.
The counterfeiters would also use the internet more and more intensively, on the one hand to procure parts and preliminary products and on the other hand to push counterfeit goods onto the markets. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EUIPO, imports of counterfeit and pirated goods amounted to €119 billion in 2019, accounting for 5.8 percent of all goods imported into the EU.
Not only counterfeit clothing, accessories and luxury goods were confiscated, which still accounted for the largest share, but also counterfeit medicines, food, drinks as well as cosmetics and pesticides. These represent a particular threat to the health of consumers. Children are endangered by counterfeit toys that often contain toxic ingredients. The economic damage to companies whose products are counterfeited or counterfeited continues into the billions. (dpa)