Billions are spent on counterfeit goods in the EU & UK each year: Matti Lindberg & My Mattsson set out some top tips for brand owners to protect their rights online & on the ground
- In order to be more efficient in enforcing their intellectual property rights, brand owners should maintain an approach that combines legal, technological and business strategies.
As the economic value of industries with intensive levels of intellectual property rights (IPRs) has continued to grow, especially for fashion and luxury products, so has the problem of counterfeit products. In the EU alone, a joint study in 2019 found that counterfeit products amounted to €121bn, or 6.8% of the total value of EU imports; in the UK, the value was estimated at £13.6bn. Counterfeit clothing, footwear and accessories amounted to 7.8% of the total sales in the sector in the EU market.
According to studies carried out by the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), a third of European consumers have at some point wondered whether they have purchased
