Between the harmful effects for the European economy that covid-19 has had, there is also the proliferation of counterfeit items, many times related precisely to the pandemic and its consequences, such as medical devices and electronic items, the latter affected by the shortage of semiconductors caused by the impact of the virus on factories and commercial chains. The estimated value of these copies and pirated items is not minor: it is estimated that, in 2019, they totaled 119,000 million eurosup to 5.8% of imports from the European Union (EU).
According to the latest joint report by Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in 2020 approximately 66 million counterfeit items, compared to 76 million in 2019, a year in which the formidable trade disruptions that shook the first year of the pandemic were not experienced. In addition, the text explains, the seizures in 2020 could be affected downwards by the “added difficulties faced by the police and customs authorities to apply the usual controls & rdquor; because of covid-19. These agencies also detect that crimes against intellectual property “have increased considerably during this period & rdquor ;.
before the originals
Thus, to the categories of products that are usually of interest to counterfeiters (luxury clothing and accessories, tobacco, toys) are added a growing interest of criminals in “electronic or electrical devices, mobile phones and components”, some of which are illicitly manufactured “even before the authentic articles are available for sale & rdquor ;, due to the great interest they arouse. In this sense, Europol and EUIPO warn that these criminals can take advantage of the growing shortage of chips to replace them with “counterfeit semiconductors, such as diodes & rdquor ;.
As for fake pharmaceuticals, it has been detected that “criminal groups counterfeit an increasingly wide range of medicines & rdquor ;, and that they “continue to take advantage of the opportunities that are arising due to the pandemic & rdquor ;, such as making illicit copies of equipment of individual protection (PPE) and masks. The European agencies point out that although a good part of these goods come from outside the European Union (EU), there are also cases in which they are made in illegal laboratories located in Community territory. What’s more, It has been detected that the sale of these pharmaceutical products is moving from physical points to digital markets“such as online pharmacies and widely used social media platforms & rdquor ;.
increasing sophistication
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Among the more traditional products that are often copied, the report highlights the increasing sophistication of criminals in certain categories. In beverages, for example, it has been found that counterfeiting “is increasingly professional and sophisticated”, in some cases with “a comprehensive business model that covers the entire supply and distribution chain”, with centers in the EU ” what fill empty bottles of authentic and counterfeit alcoholic beverages”. It has also been found that, in tobacco, “modern and professional production facilities closer to their destination markets” are being established.
According to Europol and EUIPO, in addition to the dangers to the health of consumers by using clandestinely manufactured products, the consequences of piracy and counterfeiting are devastating for the European economy. In a calculation made for the period 2013 and 2017, these agencies calculate that the loss of sales in the EU for these reasons amounted to more than 83,000 million euros per year, which generated total losses of tax revenue of about 15,000 million and the disappearance of 671,000 jobs.
