New study on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day: Young people often deliberately buy counterfeits

Berlin, June 8, 2022: Today is World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. Volker Bartels, Chairman of Aktionskreis gegen Produkt- und Markenpiraterie, comments: “Adequate protection of intellectual property is necessary for innovation and investment in the quality of a company’s own branded products. The fight against counterfeiting is therefore essential for a modern economy.”

Companies affected by piracy are already doing everything they can to protect themselves and their customers from low-quality counterfeits. They scour the Internet for fraudulent offers, cooperate with the authorities, and take the recognizability of their originals into account as far as possible when planning new products. With the Digital Services Act recently passed by the European Parliament and the Council, trading platforms and other Internet service providers are now to be more closely involved in the fight against product and brand piracy in the future.

“Less attention is unfortunately often paid to the demand side. Although the vast majority of buyers have been deceived and ultimately cheated by counterfeit products, there are unfortunately still too many people who deliberately resort to counterfeit products for a variety of reasons,” says Bartels.
According to a study released today by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), 37 percent of Europeans aged 15 to 24 have knowingly purchased a counterfeit product at least once in the past 12 months.

“Especially among young people – and especially when shopping anonymously on the Internet – there is often still a lack of awareness of the damage caused by product piracy. Those who buy counterfeit products must know that they are supporting organized crime. In addition to the losses incurred by the companies, the state also loses billions in revenue, hundreds of thousands of jobs are lost and, last but not least, the counterfeits often pose not inconsiderable risks to consumers,” Bartels continued.

“We therefore welcome the fact that the German Patent and Trademark Office has now been given the legal authority to provide information in this area, “says Bartels, “When counterfeiting is just a click away, awareness must be raised.”

About the APM

The Aktionskreis gegen Produkt- und Markenpiraterie e.V. (APM) has been working as a cross-industry association for the protection of intellectual property since 1997. The APM is a joint initiative of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the Markenverband. At APM, renowned companies from various industries are committed to creating an environment in which innovative activity can flourish and build on effective protection.

Your contact for the press:

Action group against product and brand piracy e.V.
Gertraudenstrasse 20
10178 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0) 30/206 790 74
Fax: +49 (0) 30/206 790 72
E-mail: info@apm.net