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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:54 pm
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Results for counterfeit products
12 results foundAuthor: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Title: Tobacco, Terrorism, and Illicit Trade: China, Paraguay, Ukraine: Inside the World's Top Smuggling Hubs; Taliban, al-qaeda, Other Terrorists Funded by Cigarette Black Markets Summary: The six-part series is part of Tobacco Underground, a year-long investigation by ICIJ into cigarette smuggling — featuring interactive maps, undercover video, online interviews with experts, and links to groups and documents worldwide. In addition to fueling corruption, organized crime, and terrorism, the illicit trafficking of tobacco robs governments of needed tax money and spurs addiction to a deadly product, the ICIJ series reports. “ICIJ shows again how the illicit trafficking of tobacco is out of control,” said Center Executive Director Bill Buzenberg. “Renegade factories, multinational companies, and weak enforcement all play a role in fueling this multi-billion dollar illegal trade, whose profits rival those of narcotics.” Experts believe that smuggled cigarettes — either untaxed legitimate brands or counterfeits — account for 12 percent of all cigarette sales, or about 657 billion “sticks” annually, making tobacco the world’s most widely smuggled legal substance. The cost to governments worldwide is massive: an estimated $40 billion to $50 billion in lost tax revenue each year. ICIJ first exposed the complicity of Big Tobacco in smuggling nine years ago, helping spark lawsuits and government crackdowns around the world. This report includes the following articles: (1) Terrorism and Tobacco: Extremists, Insurgents Turn to Cigarette Smuggling. Terrorists are increasingly turning to cigarette smuggling for funding. The move is part of a larger trend toward use of criminal rackets by terrorists, who find trafficking in cigarettes a high-profit, low-risk way to finance operations. Among the groups are Pakistan’s Taliban militias, for whom cigarettes are now second only to heroin as a funding source. (2)China’s Marlboro Country: A Massive Underground Industry Makes China the World Leader in Counterfeit Cigarettes. China now produces an unprecedented 400 billion counterfeit cigarettes annually. Cheap Chinese fakes are now sold in major cities worldwide, from New York delis to London storefronts. Officials believe China is the source of 99 percent of U.S. counterfeit cigarettes and up to 80 percent of those in the European Union. Lab tests reveal the Chinese counterfeits release 80 percent more nicotine and 130 percent more carbon monoxide than brand-name cigarettes, and have impurities that include insect eggs and human feces. (3) Smuggling Made Easy: Landlocked Paraguay Emerges as a Top Producer of Contraband Tobacco. Paraguay’s renegade factories produce more than 20 times what the country consumes, and are now responsible for 10 percent of the world’s contraband tobacco, experts estimate. The vast majority of the cigarettes — up to 90 percent of production, worth an estimated $1 billion— disappears into an often violent black market, law enforcement officials say. (4) Ukraine’s “Lost” Cigarettes Flood Europe: Big Tobacco’s Overproduction Feeds $2 Billion Black Market. Each year, the world’s four top multinational tobacco companies — Philip Morris International, Japan Tobacco International, Imperial Tobacco, and British American Tobacco — produce and import 30 billion cigarettes in Ukraine beyond what the country can consume, fueling a $2 billion black market that reaches across the European Union. Today, Ukraine is rivaled only by Russia as the top source of non-counterfeit cigarettes smuggled to Europe. Details: Washington, DC: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 2009. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2011 at: http://www.publicintegrity.org/news/entry/1534/ Year: 2009 Country: International URL: http://www.publicintegrity.org/news/entry/1534/ Shelf Number: 119537 Keywords: Black MarketsCounterfeit ProductsIllegal TobaccoIllicit TradeSmugglingTerrorism |
Author: TRANSCRIME Title: Plain Packaging and Illicit Trade in the UK: Study on the Risks of Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products as Unintended Consequences of the Introduction of Plain Packaging in the UK Summary: This study analyses the risks of the illicit trade in tobacco products (ITTP) which may arise as the unintended consequences of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products in the UK. The tobacco market is a dual market. It consists of a legitimate and an illegal part, which implies that changes to the legal market may affect the illicit market as well. The ITTP is a threat to the effectiveness of tobacco control policies aimed at curbing smoking and its dangerous effects on human health. Details: Trento, Italy: Transcrime - Joint Research Centre on Transnational Crime, 2012. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2012 at: http://transcrime.cs.unitn.it/tc/fso/pubblicazioni/AP/Transcrime-Plain_packaging_and_illicit_trade_in_the_UK.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://transcrime.cs.unitn.it/tc/fso/pubblicazioni/AP/Transcrime-Plain_packaging_and_illicit_trade_in_the_UK.pdf Shelf Number: 126346 Keywords: Counterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingIllegal TobaccoIllicit Tobacco (U.K.)Organized Crime |
Author: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) Title: Confiscation of the Proceeds of IP Crime: A modern tool for deterring counterfeiting and piracy Summary: The theft of Intellectual Property (IP) in the forms of trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy is a socio-economic problem of enormous scale that has escalated significantly in the last decade. In one country after another, the massive infiltration of counterfeit and pirated products has created an enormous drain on national economies around the world — crowding out billions in legitimate economic activity and facilitating an “underground economy” that deprives governments of revenues for vital public services, forces higher burdens on tax payers, dislocates hundreds of thousands of legitimate jobs and exposes consumers to dangerous and ineffective products. Moreover, the Internet is increasingly exploited as an illicit marketplace for counterfeiting and piracy. The latest estimate from ICC BASCAP indicates that the total global value of counterfeiting and piracy could reach a staggering peak of USD 1.7 trillion by 2015. IP crime has emerged as a lucrative and growing new activity for organized criminal networks. There is strong evidence that organized criminal groups are moving into counterfeiting and piracy in ever-growing numbers. The high profits and low risk associated with modest penalties and lax enforcement of intellectual property IP crime has made this a major new business opportunity for organized crime networks. Today, counterfeiting and piracy play a key role in the operations of transnational criminal organizations. One recent example of this was the Interpol-led Operation “Black Poseidon”. The operation targeted products being traded illicitly across Eastern Europe (namely Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine) by transnational organized crime groups. Counterfeit products included computers, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, electronics, alcohol and cigarettes. The operation led to the seizure of goods worth over €120 million and 1,400 persons under arrest or investigation. The emergence of organized IP crime accelerates the globalization of counterfeiting and piracy, helps fund other criminal activities such as extortion, illegal drugs and human trafficking, compromises the international financial system for money laundering purposes and, ultimately, makes it more difficult for existing law enforcement measures to be effective. Details: Turin, Italy: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, 2013. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed August 10, 2013 at: www.iccwbo.org Year: 2013 Country: International URL: Shelf Number: 129618 Keywords: Copyright PiracyCounterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingCriminal NetworksOrganized Crime (International)Theft of Intellectual Property |
Author: United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Title: Focus on The Illicit Trafficking of Counterfeit Goods and Transnational Organized Crime Summary: As a global, multibillion dollar crime, organized criminal groups have not hesitated to cash in on the trade in counterfeit goods. In many parts of the world, international, regional and national law enforcement authorities have uncovered intricate links between this crime and other serious offences including illicit drugs, money laundering and corruption. Some estimates put the counterfeit business at well in excess of $250 billion a year and hundreds of billions more, if pirated digital products and domestic counterfeit sales are included. The involvement of organized criminal groups in the production and distribution of counterfeit goods has been documented by both national and international authorities. Groups such as the Mafia and Camorra in Europe and the Americas, and the Triads and Yakuza in Asia have diversified into the illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods, while at the same time being involved in crimes varying from drug and human trafficking, to extortion and money laundering. UNODC's own research reports have recognized the strategic and operational criminal link between counterfeiting and activities such as drug trafficking. There is an additional societal impact caused by counterfeiting. The trade in counterfeit products can result in increased corruption and law enforcement costs, have a serious impact on public health and safety, lead to social and environmental concerns, and result in the infringement of other criminal and administrative laws such as tax and customs evasion as well as fraud. The illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods: A criminal act With the combination of high profits and low penalties resulting from a greater social tolerance compared to other crimes, the illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods is an attractive money-making avenue for organized criminal groups. In some instances, the illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods is more profitable than other illegal activities, such as the trafficking and sale of narcotic drugs, people and weapons. Yet while the illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods is often perceived as a 'lesser crime', the consequences can be quite serious, with the costs going far beyond just the illegal copying of products. Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2014. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 11, 2014 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/counterfeit/FocusSheet/Counterfeit_focussheet_EN_HIRES.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/counterfeit/FocusSheet/Counterfeit_focussheet_EN_HIRES.pdf Shelf Number: 132649 Keywords: Counterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingOrganized CrimeTransnational Crime |
Author: Cho, Soo-Haeng Title: Combating Strategic Counterfeiters in Licit and Illicit Supply Chains Summary: Counterfeit goods are becoming more sophisticated, from shoes to infant milk powder to aircraft parts, creating problems for consumers, firms, and governments. By comparing two types of counterfeiters-deceptive, so infiltrating a licit (but complicit) distributor, or nondeceptive in an illicit channel-we provide insights into the impact of anticounterfeiting strategies on a brand-name company, a counterfeiter, and consumers. Our analysis highlights that the effectiveness of these strategies depends critically on whether a brand-name company faces a nondeceptive or deceptive counterfeiter. For example, by improving quality, the brand-name company can improve her expected profit against a nondeceptive counterfeiter when the counterfeiter steals an insignificant amount of brand value. However, the same strategy does not work well against the deceptive counterfeiter unless high quality facilitates the seizure of deceptive counterfeits significantly. Similarly, reducing price works well in combating the nondeceptive counterfeiter, but it could be ineffective against the deceptive counterfeiter. Moreover, the strategies that improve the profit of the brand-name company may benefit the counterfeiter inadvertently and even hurt consumer welfare. Therefore, firms and governments should carefully consider a trade-off among different objectives in implementing an anticounterfeiting strategy. Details: Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business, 2014. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1525743 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1525743 Shelf Number: 135682 Keywords: Consumer FraudConsumer ProtectionCounterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingSupply Chains |
Author: Frontier Economics Title: The economic and social impacts of counterfeiting and piracy in Turkey Summary: This study is the first attempt to estimate the magnitude and costs of counterfeiting in Turkey. The magnitude of counterfeiting in the economy includes the value of imported, domestically produced, and digitally retrieved counterfeit products, and adds up to 1% of the GDP. The costs of counterfeiting include tax losses, additional welfare payments, health costs, as well as costs to the wider economy such as lost FDI and exports. Estimates on employment losses due to all these factors also are included. These estimates are based on a Frontier-developed methodology that is built on work by the OECD, and show that counterfeiting is a serious problem for Turkey. Counterfeiting is not only a law enforcement issue, but is also a core problem that is relevant for economic policy-makers. The recently published Global Competitiveness Report 2011-12 by the World Economic Forum classifies Turkey as a transition economy passing from an efficiency-driven to innovation-driven stage. Completing this transition will necessitate a tough stance against counterfeiting. Firms in an efficiency-driven economy compete and grow by cutting down costs, while firms in an innovation-driven economy compete and grow by creating unique value at the global level. Illicit entities that produce counterfeit products may "compete" on cost, but they cannot act as building blocks of an innovation-driven economy. They are destined to stay as small enterprises that generate little or self-employment with low wages, all the while skirting the law. Entities involved in counterfeiting are necessarily driven into informal, illicit markets. They are excluded not only from the tax collection system, but also from the global manufacturing value-chains of modern corporations that bring local firms opportunities to scale up to the global level. Needless to say, informal firms have limited access to bank credit and venture capital, further limiting their growth prospects. If the Turkish economy is to upgrade to an innovation-driven stage, it will be based on high-impact enterprises that are able to scale-up to the global level by creating unique value. Only firms that are not involved in counterfeiting can acquire and retain global customers and investors in the long-run. It is natural to see this value be distributed to wider society in form of larger employment with higher wages. This is why avoiding counterfeiting should be an economic-policy priority. Tackling counterfeiting is a difficult challenge. It requires not only close enforcement, but the necessary incentives to create long-lasting transformation in the habits of entrepreneurs. To create a policy environment against counterfeiting requires a high level of policy coordination among different departments in the government. Dialogue and coordination among the ministries of Culture and Tourism, Justice, Health, the Interior, Economy, Customs and Trade, as well as institutions such as the Turkish Patent Institute and the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), as well as between public institutions and private sector representatives are essential. To ensure coordination and dialogue among so many different agents, political will is critical. This report is a first step in building this political will by revealing the large magnitude and long list of costs associated with counterfeiting and piracy in Turkey. Details: Ankara: BASCAP (Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy, 2011. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: www.iccwbo.org Year: 2011 Country: Turkey URL: www.iccwbo.org Shelf Number: 137281 Keywords: Counterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingEconomic CrimesFinancial CrimesIllicit MarketsPirated Goods |
Author: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Title: Roles and Responsibilities of Intermediaries: Fighting Counterfeiting and Piracy in the Supply Chain Summary: Millions of intermediaries are operating throughout the global supply chain and the vast majority of these players are conscientious, trustworthy and reliable partners. ICC's own membership includes millions of companies: many are brand and copyright owners; many are intermediaries; and others have no direct interest or link to the topics covered in this paper. So while this paper does not and cannot reflect the views of all ICC members, nor is it a consensus of the global business community, it has undertaken to ensure accuracy, balance and consistency with ICC's long-standing opposition to counterfeiting and piracy, intellectual property rights infringement, unfair trade, illegal commerce and corruption. For the most part, this body of work substantiates actions intermediaries are already taking independently or in collaboration with rights holders and government authorities to deal with supply chain vulnerabilities. Where these current efforts have been inadequate in protecting against IP infringements, suggestions for better or best practices are put forward. The result is a product that challenges the status quo and offers a roadmap for discussion, collaboration and resolution. We offer the findings and suggested best practices as a springboard for an ongoing dialog among trademark and copyright owners, intermediaries and governments to find solutions to the infiltration of counterfeiting and piracy into the legitimate supply chain. Our hope is that the suggested best practices will help responsible intermediaries more effectively deal with vulnerabilities in their operations and encourage intermediaries who knowingly facilitate IP infringement to stop. Details: Paris: ICC and BASCAP, 2015. 108p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: http://www.gacg.org/Content/Upload/Documents/2015%20BASCAP%20Intermediares_HR%20(1)%20(1).pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.gacg.org/Content/Upload/Documents/2015%20BASCAP%20Intermediares_HR%20(1)%20(1).pdf Shelf Number: 137197 Keywords: Counterfeit GoodsCounterfeit ProductsCrimes Against BusinessesProduct CounterfeitingProduct PiracySupply Chains |
Author: KPMG Title: Project Sun: A study of the illicit cigarette market in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland. 2015 Results Summary: Key findings • Counterfeit and Contraband (C&C) as a proportion of total consumption declined marginally from 10.4% in 2014 to 9.8% in 2015 • The total volume of C&C consumed in the EU was 53.0 billion cigarettes with France and Poland experiencing the highest volumes • If the C&C volume in the EU had been consumed legally, an additional tax revenue of €11.3 billion would have been raised • By 2010 all four participants had signed agreements with OLAF committing to additional supply chain controls. C&C from lower priced countries within the EU has since declined from 22.2 billion to 6.5 billion cigarettes • Legal domestic consumption remained stable against a backdrop of improved economic conditions in many countries, whilst non-domestic legal (ND(L)) increased, supported by travel trends • Increased anti-illicit trade activity and border security reflected by a doubling in the volume of OLAF supported seizures, contributed to this overall decline of C&C • Illicit Whites brand flows, with limited or no legal distribution in the EU, again accounted for over one third of C&C, of which 5.3 billion cigarettes had Belarusian labelling • Counterfeit identified by the four participating tobacco manufacturers increased by 28% but remains less than 9% of illicit cigarette consumption in Europe • The changing mix of source countries and the increasing number of Illicit Whites brands demonstrates the flexibility of illicit cigarette flows Counterfeit and Contraband (C&C) declined by 6% against a backdrop of improved economic conditions and increased anti-illicit trade activities • Personal Disposable Income (PDI) increased by an average of 2.6%(2) across all EU member states, which may have contributed to a stabilisation of Legal Domestic Sales, reversing a five year trend • Many countries, especially in the Eastern EU, experienced more stable prices compared with 2014 when tobacco taxes increased to meet minimum EU excise requirements • Increased anti-illicit trade activity, as evidenced by a rise in the number of seizures made across Europe, may also have contributed to the C&C decline C&C remained at around 10% of total consumption, with Illicit Whites and counterfeit representing a greater share of illicit consumption Sources: (1) EU Flows Model 2009 – 2015 Share of consumption (%) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 3.7% 3.7% 3.7% 8.9% 9.9% 4.2% 5.0% 10.4% 12.6% 5.4% 14.1% 13.5% 15.2% 15.5% 15.8% 11.1% 10.5% 10.4% 5.9% 15.7% 9.8% Counterfeit and Contraband (C&C) Non-domestic legal (ND(L)) • Flows of C&C from outside of the EU were the largest component of C&C identified in the study • The overall proportion of Illicit Whites brand flows and counterfeit has grown to 44.3% in 2015 • The increased volume of seizures in Europe mainly identified counterfeit and Illicit Whites brand flows. Seizures of Duty Paid product from both within and outside the EU were limited C&C as a percentage of consumption was often highest in EU countries bordering lower priced non-EU countries • Eastern EU countries with high levels of C&C mainly bordered non-EU countries where average prices were 4 times lower • C&C as a percentage of consumption was also high in Greece, Norway, UK and Ireland, which also have the highest prices within Europe • Whilst not having the highest level of C&C as a proportion of consumption, the highest volume of C&C was identified in France Non-domestic legal (ND(L)) continued to increase against a backdrop of travel trends and price incentives Non-EU source products and counterfeit contributed an increasingly greater proportion of C&C The largest C&C source countries were those with the lowest prices on the Eastern EU border Illicit Whites brand flows continued to represent over one third of C&C in the EU, equating to 3.5% of total cigarette consumption Counterfeit experienced a 28% increase in volume, representing 9% of C&C consumption Details: London: KPMG, 2016. 208p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2017 at: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2016/06/project-sun-report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Europe URL: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2016/06/project-sun-report.pdf Shelf Number: 141381 Keywords: Black Markets Contraband Cigarettes Contraband Tobacco Counterfeit ProductsIllegal Cigarettes (Europe) Illegal Tobacco Illegal Trade |
Author: union des fabricants (unifab) Title: Counterfeiting and terrorism Summary: Remember that counterfeiting is defined as the reproduction or total or partial use of an intellectual property right without authorisation from its owner. It currently represents up to 10% of world trade and costs an estimated 40,000 jobs per year in France and 2.5 million to G20 countries. In 2009, the OECD assessed the global financial impact of counterfeiting at between $250 billion and $500 billion. We estimate that in 2015, "counterfeiting will represent a turnover of over $1.700 billion world-wide. This is more than the value of drugs and prostitution combined". The counterfeiter therefore aims to create confusion between the original product and the counterfeit product, in order to benefit from another's reputation or the result of investments made by the true holder of an intellectual property right. From a legal viewpoint, digital piracy (music, film, software, book, graphic) is therefore a form of counterfeiting, as is the production of fake brand items. In France, counterfeiting is governed by the Code of Intellectual Property in Articles L 335-2 to L 335-9 for the infringement of copyright and related rights, L 513- 4 for the violation of pictures and models, L 613-3 for the infringement of patents, and L 713-2 and L 713-3 for the infringement of trademarks and services. In France, counterfeiting is covered under both civil and criminal law. Thus, under criminal law, counterfeiting is punishable by three years imprisonment and a 300,000 euro fine, with penalties increased to five years' imprisonment and a 500,000 euro fine when the acts are committed by an organised group, or when they concern products that are hazardous to consumer health or safety. However, the proven presence of counterfeiting within terrorist organisations raises questions about the adequacy of current criminal penalties, and particularly how they are applied. Terrorism is also punishable under the Criminal Code. This defines a terrorist act as an act pertaining to "an individual or collective undertaking aimed at seriously disturbing public order by intimidation or terror" (Article L 421-1 CC amended by Law of 13 November 2014). It covers two categories of offences: - First, existing offences committed in relation to a terrorist undertaking. It therefore concerns common crimes in specific circumstances which give them a specific nature; - Second, a number of offences defined independently, without reference to an existing offence. The funding of a terrorist undertaking therefore represents a specific offence (Article 421-2-2 of the Criminal Code). Which is punishable by 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of 225,000 euros. However, the penalty is increased to 20 years' imprisonment, with a fine of 500,000 euros for those directing or organising a terrorist group. Unifab' publication of this report aims to provide an insight into the links between terrorism and counterfeiting, as well as demonstrating that this illegal activity is a favourite method for financing terrorist actions. This study deals with industrial and commercial counterfeiting, in addition to the infringement of copyright. However, it excludes the falsification of means of payment and administrative papers. Moreover, it is primarily based on information collected from companies, the media, professional and public organisations, and european and international agencies. Details: Paris: unifab, 2016. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 30, 2017 at: https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/documents/11370/71142/Counterfeiting+%26%20terrorism/7c4a4abf-05ee-4269-87eb-c828a5dbe3c6 Year: 2016 Country: France URL: https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/documents/11370/71142/Counterfeiting+%26%20terrorism/7c4a4abf-05ee-4269-87eb-c828a5dbe3c6 Shelf Number: 146942 Keywords: Consumer FraudCounterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingTerrorist Financing |
Author: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Title: Measuring the Magnitude of Global Counterfeiting: Creation of a Contemporary Global Measure of Physical Counterfeiting Summary: Counterfeiting today represents a tremendous and ever increasing global threat. Counterfeit products- from goods and merchandise, tobacco products and industrial parts to currency and medicines - circulate across the globe. Yet these products cause real damage to consumers, industries and economies. First and foremost, counterfeit goods jeopardize consumers and pose a serious safety risk: fake toys contain hazardous and prohibited chemicals and detachable small parts; brake pads made of compressed grass; counterfeit microchips for civilian aircrafts; all these and many more may and tragically already have led to injuries and deaths. Counterfeit products also result in detrimental effects on economies due to decreased innovation, loss of revenue and taxation, and higher employment rate. Disturbingly, a growing body of evidence draws a clear link between physical counterfeiting and terrorist groups which exploit the easy-made money and high profit margin to fund terror activities around the world. The continuous growth of the global counterfeiting industry is a major cause for concern. Fueled by the proliferation of internet use and social media platforms, the magnitude of global physical counterfeiting is estimated to have increased considerably since the beginning of this century. One prominent example for this increase is reflected in the OECD's studies on global counterfeiting. In its first study from 2008 - The Economic Impact of Counterfeiting and Piracy - the OECD estimated that global trade of counterfeit goods accounted for 1.9% of world trade in 2007, or 250 billion USD. In its recently published study of 2016 - Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods: Mapping the Economic Impact - the OECD now estimates that global trade-related counterfeiting accounts for 2.5% of world trade, or 461 billion USD. A key finding from these two OECD studies is that global counterfeiting has grown both organically with a growth rate of 0.6% (of its estimated share of world trade), and, since world trade has in itself increased constantly since 2009, also grown in its overall dollar figure. In this context, the US Chamber's Measuring the Magnitude of Global Counterfeiting study seeks to make a contribution to this growing body of literature and complement the OECD's work in two ways: 1. The study provides a deep-dive analysis of trade-related physical counterfeiting on a comparative level, and; 2. It provides a breakdown of the share of the global rate of physical counterfeiting (as both a percentage and with a USD figure) for the 38 economies included in the 2016 U.S. Chamber of Commerce's GIPC International IP Index (fourth edition published in February 2016) based on new modeling of an economy's propensity for counterfeiting, including factors such as broader levels of IP enforcement and estimated rates of corruption. The study makes the following key findings: 1. China alone is estimated to be the source for more than 70% of global physical trade-related counterfeiting, amounting to more than 285 billion USD. Physical counterfeiting accounts for the equivalent of 12.5% of China's exports of goods and over 1.5% of its GDP. China and Hong Kong together are estimated as the source for 86% of global physical counterfeiting, which translates into 396.5 billion USD worth of counterfeit goods each year. 2. Despite China and Hong Kong's dominant share of global counterfeiting, a considerable amount of physical counterfeiting activity as share of world trade can be attributed to other economies as well. Indeed, the level of counterfeiting activity attributed to some economies is substantial and bears significant economic and public health implications, both locally and internationally. 3. In addition to the modeled estimates of rates of global physical counterfeiting and percentage attributed to each economy, this report has also examined the value of seized counterfeit goods in the 38 economies sampled and the World Customs Organization (WCO). The value of counterfeit goods seized and reported by customs authorities today from our sample of 38 economies ($5.2 billion) represents slightly less than 2.5% of the global measure of physical counterfeiting of $461 billion dollars. This suggests that though customs authorities' activities yield results and their efforts are highly laudable, the extent of their successes still represents "a drop in an ocean." This does not mean to say that economies should not continue to step up efforts to combat counterfeiting. Recent actions taken by economies include enhancing customs authorities' scope of action, strengthening IP protection, introducing targeted measures aimed at deterring counterfeiting, and joining international trade and enforcement initiatives. Taken together, these steps are expected to increase economies' ability to limit counterfeiting activities both domestically and globally over time. 4. Our analysis of seizure data from customs authorities shows that the dearth of seizure data is acute. Of the 38 economies examined in this study, only a third of the customs authorities publish data. Moreover, only a small proportion of these publish reliable, consistent, and detailed seizure statistics. Additionally, the data are often focused on intermittent seizures of varying scope and so do not necessarily reflect systematic efforts against counterfeiting. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Global Intellectual Property Center, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 30, 2017 at: http://www.theglobalipcenter.com/wp-content/themes/gipc/map-index/assets/pdf/2016/GlobalCounterfeiting_Report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.theglobalipcenter.com/wp-content/themes/gipc/map-index/assets/pdf/2016/GlobalCounterfeiting_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 146943 Keywords: Counterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingIllegal TradeOrganized CrimePirated GoodsTerrorist Financing |
Author: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Title: Mapping the Real Routes of Trade in Fake Goods Summary: Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods is a vital threat for modern, innovation-driven economies, a worldwide phenomenon that grows in scope and magnitude. Counterfeiters ship infringing products via complex routes, with many intermediary points, which poses a substantial challenge to efficient enforcement. This study looks at the issue of the complex routes of trade in counterfeit pirated goods. Using a set of statistical filters, it identifies key producing economies and key transit points. The analysis is done for ten main sectors for which counterfeiting is the key threat. The results will facilitate tailoring policy responses to strengthen governance frameworks to tackle this risk, depending on the profile of a given economy that is known as a source of counterfeit goods in international trade. Details: Paris: OECD, 2017. 159p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2017 at: https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/observatory/documents/reports/Mapping_the_Real_Routes_of_Trade_in_Fake_Goods_en.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/observatory/documents/reports/Mapping_the_Real_Routes_of_Trade_in_Fake_Goods_en.pdf Shelf Number: 147000 Keywords: Counterfeit ProductsCounterfeitingIllicit Trade |
Author: Interpol Title: Operation Opson VI: Targeting Counterfeit and Substandard Foodstuff and Beverage: December 2016 - March 2017 Summary: KEY ELEMENTS 65 countries and 20 private partners, from 22 EU Member States (MS) and 43 non-EU countries, participated in Operation OPSON VI. This represents the largest number of participating countries, especially for non EU countries, since the beginning of OPSON in 2011. 57 countries took part in OPSON V. In total, 13,407.60 tonnes, 26,336,305.3 litres and 11,118,832 units of either counterfeit or substandard food and beverages have been seized during the four month operational phase of OPSON VI. The total value of these illicit goods amounts to 235,681,849.87 EUR. Participating countries reported more than 50,128 inspections and checks, and 13,711 persons arrested or investigated. They opened 6,282 administrative and criminal cases. Investigations started in the framework of OPSON VI led to the dismantling of seven organised crime groups, reported as such by the countries and involved in the production of illegal food, other goods smuggling and other criminal activities. In terms of product range, the levels of seizure within OPSON VI differ significantly compared with OPSON V. The highest quantity of seized products is alcohol whereas the first category of seized products in OPSON V was condiments (e.g. vegetable oil, spices, and sauces). Enforcement actions during OPSON VI led to the closure of at least 183 illegal alcohol factories and to the seizures of production materials, ranging from special bottling machines to counterfeit excise stamps, caps, labels or bottle security rings. The second category of seized goods is meat with almost 5,146 tonnes removed from the markets. The reported infringements are, in most cases, related to deceiving consumers (27%, of which 1% are IPR violations), food safety (22%) and fiscal infringements (19%). Besides the seizures of food and beverages, the participating countries reported important seizures of tobacco, coca leaves (in Peru), pharmaceuticals and cannabis (in Djibouti) which were discovered in the course of OPSON VI. The debriefing meeting was hosted by the Irish authorities in Dublin on 2 - 3 October 2017. Details: The Hague: INTERPOL, 2017. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-documents/operation-opson-vi-targeting-counterfeit-and-substandard-foodstuff-and-beverage Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-documents/operation-opson-vi-targeting-counterfeit-and-substandard-foodstuff-and-beverage Shelf Number: 148974 Keywords: Consumer ProtectionCounterfeit GoodsCounterfeit ProductsOrganized Crime |