The German Patent Office has warned against brand piracy in online retail. With a view to the Christmas business, President Eva Schewior said on Friday: “Caution is advised when prices are noticeably low, because the products all too often turn out to be inferior counterfeits with sometimes considerable safety risks. You as the consumer also suffer the damage.”
According to official estimates, more than 100 billion euros worth of counterfeit goods are imported into the EU every year, including medicines, food and children’s toys. Last year, German customs seized counterfeits worth around 435 million euros.
When shopping in virtual worlds, the digital goods can be secured by a non-exchangeable blockchain (NFT) record – for example “virtual sneakers authenticated by NFT”. The German trademark register already contains over 70 applications and entries in whose list of goods the term NFT appears, and over 1200 applications and entries with the term “blockchain”.
Schewior said intellectual property rules also apply in the virtual world. “The metaverse is also not a lawless space in which you can do whatever you want.” (dpa)