Pharmaceutical goods infringing IP rights are a substantial threat to the EU and affect most, if not all, Member States. The trade in counterfeit pharmaceutical products in the EU has been increasing over recent years. The number of counterfeit medicines and other goods seized by EU customs authorities reached 1 172 076 units in 2019, entering the top 10 list of seized products by number of articles. The trend was confirmed in 2020, with medicines appearing as the seventh most-seized products at the EU’s external border.

Toys infringing IP rights are frequently detected and seized both within and on entry to the EU . At 9.6 % of the articles seized at the EU’s external border, in 2019 toys were the fourth most frequently seized category of counterfeit products. In 2019, EU authorities seized 3 488 282 articles with an estimated value of EUR 15 332 034 . The trend in 2020 was similar, with toys being the sixth most common category of seized products. The majority of counterfeit toys seized in the EU are believed to originate from Argentina, China (including Hong Kong), and Turkey.

In 2019, perfumes and cosmetics were the third most commonly seized IPR-infringing goods at the EU’s external border (in terms of the number of seizure procedures). These counterfeit perfumes and cosmetics were valued at approximately EUR 40 million at the time of the seizure . A decrease in reported seizures of these commodities was observed in 2020, when only approximately EUR 20 million worth of counterfeit perfumes and cosmetics were seized . Nonetheless, packaging materials for perfumes became one of the most-seized fake goods at the EU’s external border in 2020 .

Criminal networks involved in IP crime continue to counterfeit food and drink. In 2020, foodstuffs (in particular cookies, pasta, crisps and sweets) were the second most commonly seized category of products at the EU’s external border. In contrast, they were among the less commonly seized products on the EU’s internal market in 2020. China and Turkey were among the most frequently reported non-EU countries of origin for counterfeit food and drink seized at the EU’s external border in 2019 and 2020.

Electronics and electrical devices are a key category of counterfeit products. This category includes audio/video apparatus, memory cards and sticks, ink cartridges and toners, and computer equipment (hardware) including all technical accessories and parts. The country of origin for most of the seized counterfeit electrical/electronic and computer equipment is China (including Hong Kong).

Clothing and accessories are still among the most common counterfeit goods encountered in the EU. In 2020, clothing accessories and clothing were among the top five categories of the approximatively 66 million counterfeit items seized at the EU’s external border and on the EU’s internal market. Seized clothing accessories, clothing, watches, bags, wallets and purses were also predominant in terms of their estimated value, representing almost 60 % of the EUR 2 billion estimated value of all detentions reported during 2020 .

1. Alfred Dunhill (UK)
2. Annick Goutal (France)
3. Armani (Italy)
4. Benneton (Italy)
5. Burberry (UK)
6. Bvlgari (Italy)
7. Cacharel (France)
8. Cartier (France)
9. Cerruti (France)
10. Chanel (France)
11. Chloé (France)
12. Christian Audigier (France)
13. Christian Dior(France)
14. Dolce & Gabbana (Italy)
15. Dyptyque (France)
16. Escada (Germany)
17. Fendi (Italy)
18. Giorgio Armani (Italy)
19. Givenchy (France)
20. Gucci (Italy)
21. Guerlain (France)

Source: OECD & EUIPO

1. Electronic & Electrical Equipment: € 88 billions
2. Jewelry: € 30 billions
3. Optical, Photographic & Medical Equipment: € 21 billions
4. Clothing & Textiles: € 20 billions
5. Pharma: € 12 billions
6. Footwear: € 10 billions
7. Food & Beverages: € 9 billions
8. Toys: € 7 billions
9. Leather: € 6 billions
10. Perfumes: € 4 billions

Foofstuff

China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Viet Nam and Thailand are the main producers of counterfeit foodstuff. Regionally, Turkey is a relatively significant producer of counterfeit food products, and exports them to the EU countries and to Serbia

Pharmaceuticals

1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Armenia
4. Bahrain
5. Bangladesh
6. Belize
7. Benin
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina
9. Cambodia
10. China
11. Dominican Republic
12. Egypt
13. Ethiopia
14. Guatemala
15. Hong Kong (China)
16. India
17. Indonesia
18. Iran
19. Kenya
20. Korea
21. Kuwait
22. Lebanon
23. Macau (China)
24. Malaysia
25. Mexico
26. Mongolia
27. Morocco
28. Nigeria
29. Pakistan
30. Panama
31. Paraguay
32. Philippines