The German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) warns the population of an increase in counterfeit branded items when buying gifts at Christmas. According to the head of the authorities, Eva Schewior, the Advent season is high season for product counterfeiters: “In some online shops, especially at Christmas, there is an accumulation of apparently cheap offers that turn out to be inferior counterfeits,” said the DPMA President. “Celebrate your party without fakes.”
Rapid increase
The patent office did not name any online shops. However, at the end of October, the EU Commission initiated proceedings against the Chinese portal Temu, alleging that the company was not doing enough to prevent plagiarism. There are also similar allegations against other Chinese online shopping channels. In 2023, European customs authorities seized 152 million counterfeit items at the EU’s external borders and in the internal market, 77 percent more than in the previous year.
Main country of origin: China
This coincides with the rapid expansion of Chinese shopping platforms in Europe. Customs authorities are now also confiscating most counterfeit products in postal parcels or express shipments. Two thirds of the seized fake goods were manufactured in China – including Hong Kong – as can be read in a report by the EU Commission and the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Younger people in particular consciously buy fakes
In many cases, customers are well aware that they are not buying genuine branded items: According to EUIPO surveys, ten percent of all Germans have knowingly bought a counterfeit item, and among younger people between 15 and 24 even almost forty percent. (dpa)