Fake goods being destroyed

Customs in the European Union (EU) detained almost 40 million products in 2012, suspected of violating intellectual property rights (IPR), with an original goods retail value of just under €1 billion, according to an annual report published by the European Commission.

The previous year, close to 115 million ’fake’ items had been seized, worth more than €1.27 billion. However, the number of recorded cases for detained goods last year was down only slightly on 2011.
This is thought to be due to the strong growth in small shipments of counterfeit merchandise ordered via the Internet.

Globally, 30% of the goods seized were cigarettes followed by a miscellany of goods (11%), packaging materials (9%), clothing (8%), toys (4%) and perfumes and cosmetics (3%). The vast majority were destroyed.

In terms of the number of cases, most of the detained goods had been shipped by air, post and express, whereas maritime container transport was the main mode for the number of articles seized.

In over 92% of all cases, Customs action was triggered whilst the goods concerned were under an import procedure.

“Customs is the EU’s first line of defence against fake products which undermine legal businesses,” said Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner for Taxation, Customs, Anti-fraud and Audit.

He stressed that the annual report illustrated “the intensity and importance of the work being done by Customs in this field. I will continue to push for even greater protection of intellectual property rights in Europe, through our work with international partners, the industry and Member States.”

China was by far the principal origin of the fake goods. However, other countries were the primary source for specific product categories. For example, Morocco for foodstuffs, Hong Kong for CD/DVDs and tobacco product accessories (electronic cigarettes and the liquid fillings for them), and Bulgaria for packaging materials. Source: EU Commission

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