BRUSSELS, Belgium – Detentions of counterfeit in the EU have reached new heights, with law enforcement authorities detaining 152 million fake articles in 2023, a 77 percent increase from the previous year. The estimated value of these counterfeit goods, seized at both EU borders and within the internal market, raised to EUR 3.4 billion, a 68 percent increase on 2022.
A new edition of a joint report by the EUIPO and the European Commission, published today, highlights the urgent need for continued action against counterfeiters. The report is based on figures provided by police, customs and market surveillance authorities from EU Member States in 2023 and published today by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
This annual report offers a unique insight into the efforts of EU enforcers to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) at both the EU border and within the internal market. The report serves as a tool for EU policy makers and enforcement authorities, providing insight into the scope of IPR infringement in the EU. By analysing the data, enforcement authorities can develop appropriate countermeasures to combat counterfeit, while policymakers can use them to substantiate their priorities and policies with evidence-based data.
At the EU border, the general decrease in the total estimated value (-14%) despite the higher number of detention cases (+7%) is explained by the combination of the decrease in the total number of articles detained (-27%) along with the shift towards cheaper products. The increase in the total number of articles detained in most of the product categories, in addition to the increase in the unitary estimated value of the detained products explains the increase of around 121 percent in the global estimated value of counterfeit products detained in the EU internal market.
According to the report, the most common counterfeit products detained in the whole EU (border and internal market together) were games, toys, recorded CDs/DVDs, labels/tags/stickers and packaging material, together accounting for almost nearly three-quarters of all the detained products. By shipping this cheap packaging materials separately from the valuable, unbranded goods and assembling them within the EU, infringers attempt to avoid detection.
Ten Member States (Italy, France, Romania, Spain, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Belgium and Greece) accounted for almost 98 percent of the total number of fake items detained in 2023 in the whole EU. Italy accounted for over 74 percent of the total number of fake items, and for over 58 percent in terms of estimated value.
China continues to be the main source of counterfeit goods entering the EU (results at the border), a trend that has persisted in 2023. Hong Kong, China and Türkiye follow closely behind, with the most detained categories being respectively labels/tags/stickers and clothing. Notably, postal and express courier services remain the most common means of transport for counterfeit goods, highlighting the need for increased vigilance in these areas.
EU enforcement of intellectual property rights: results at the EU border and in the EU internal market 2023 – 2024_EU_Enforcement_of_IPRs_FullR_en
