June 17, 2019

According to the first EU-wide IP crime Threat Assessment Report by Europol and the EUIPO, published on 12 June 2019 during the International Forum on IP Enforcement in Paris, most criminal activity involving counterfeiting is carried out by increasingly professionalised organised crime networks, which can reap large profits while running few risks.

The threat assessment, carried out using EU-wide data and strategic intelligence analysis, finds that online, illegal digital content continues to be distributed through BitTorrent portals and peer-to-peer networks, but increasingly also via cyberlockers. The owners of these platforms generate profit through digital advertisements, which often include mainstream adverts from major brands.

The report underlines that although the majority of counterfeits in the EU market are produced outside Europe, domestic manufacturing within Europe is an increasing trend.

The Report also stresses that as well as the traditional categories of counterfeited clothes, footwear and luxury products, there is a growing trade in fake products that are potentially dangerous to human health. For example, the trade in counterfeit medicines for the treatment of serious illnesses appears to be increasing.

In addition, fake goods are increasingly shipped via small parcels and express couriers, making it more difficult for enforcement authorities to detect them. To read EUIPO’s press release in full and for access to the Report, click here.