Fake Goods Trade Reaches $467 Billion

The counterfeit goods represented around $ 467 billion in global trade in 2021, the last year with complete data available, indicates a joint study of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Office of Intellectual Property of the European Union (EUIPO), an EU agency based in Alicante, Spain.

The authors of “Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025: world trends and challenges of application” note that clothing, shoes and leather items remain at the top of the list, representing 62% of counterfeit products seized. The report also underlined the emergence of new and sometimes dangerous segments, such as automotive parts, drugs, cosmetics, toys and food.

“Illicit trade threatens public security, undermines intellectual property rights and hinders economic growth, and risks could increase, because counterfeiters take advantage of new technologies and technologies to avoid detection,” said OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann.

More recent national data for the United States confirm the trend. According to customs and the protection of American borders, the total number of goods entered at the American borders for violations of intellectual property rights has more than doubled from 2020 to 2024, and the retail price suggested by the total manufacturer of these goods increased by 415%.

The OECD / EUIPO ratio describes the assembly, logistics and distribution methods increasingly sophisticated. The counterfeiters adopt “location” strategies to place the final assembly closer to the targeted markets, using international sailors such as the Danube river. With their reduced surveillance, the free trade zones “play a central role in this trend,” added the authors.

The diversification of products is kept hand in hand with greater dependence on electronic commerce for distribution. Designed to combat illicit trade in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical devices and daily consumer products that have health and safety risks, the World Customs Stop III operation, carried out last December by 111 customs administrations, revealed that 71% of the cases involved in the packages ordered on the Internet, “confirming the fact that Gammill accidents are Easy not to get involved ”lawyers, a law firm based in California.

China directs the production classification, representing 45% of all the crises reported in 2021. Additional major players have also come to Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

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