Product piracy: EU citizens are in opposition to buying counterfeit goods

A 0.33 of Europeans locate it proper to shop for counterfeit goods – if the rate of the genuine product is just too high

On TikTok a video went viral. A client located a purse in a 2nd-hand store, possibly belonging to america singer Jennifer Hudson had heard. The bag says “you fake like this” in capital letters Birkin” (translated “you’re faux like that Birkin”). Hudson famously does not provide her money for high-priced branded products and hotels to “faux clothier” merchandise as an alternative. Branded products are a ways too pricey.

And she is not by myself with this opinion:

A 1/3 of Europeans Europeans considers it applicable to buy counterfeit goods if the fee of the genuine product is too excessive. In young people it's far even half. And that’s in spite of the truth that 80 percentage agree counterfeit goods assist crook corporations and wreck agencies and jobs, consistent with a survey performed via the Office of the… European Union for Intellectual Property (EUIPO) has been posted.

Between January 30 and February 15, 2023, 25,824 Online-Interviews performed with residents aged 15 and over, in Austria 1,013 humans had been interviewed. 28 percent of Austrian consumers consumers said they have been uncertain whether a product changed into actual or not, whilst ten percentage stated they'd deliberately bought counterfeit items.

Differences between Member States

While about 1 / 4 of customers client in Denmark and the Netherlands (26 percent) were now not positive whether or not the product they bought became actual or not, this proportion rose to 72 percent in Romania.

Twelve percent of Austrians Austrian admitted to illegally accessing content material online, particularly at wearing occasions, an EU average of 14 percentage, growing to 33 percentage amongst younger people elderly 15 to 24.

 

Piracy as opposed to streaming companies

The share of folks who pirated Content access numerous through u . S ., starting from nine percentage in Finland and Denmark as much as 22 percentage in Malta. Better affordability and a much broader choice of content from legal assets were the top reasons cited for turning their backs on pirated content material.

According to the take a look at on residents’ perceptions of highbrow assets Citizens are Europeans Europeans increasingly more aware of the dangers and consequences of buying counterfeit items and gaining access to content material from illegal sources. Across Europe,  out of 3 respondents believed that counterfeiting posed a hazard to fitness, safety and the environment.

Four out of ten Europeans paid for get entry to to content material from a legal supply inside the beyond yr, compared to 38 percent in Austria. With regard product piracy eighty two percentage of Europeans agreed that obtaining virtual content material from illegal assets will increase the risk of harmful practices (scams or beside the point content material for minors) involves.

Are fakes appropriate?

Despite those fantastic Results the examine also shows that each third man or woman in Europa (31 percentage) still find it ideal to buy counterfeit goods when the fee of the original is simply too excessive. This share rises to half of for more youthful human beings clients aged 15 to 24 years.

When requested approximately specific behavior, 13 percent of these surveyed stated that they'd knowingly faked them within the past twelve months Were to have bought. This parent is even 26 percent for 15 to 24-12 months-olds, twice as excessive as that EU common whilst it falls to six percent within the 55 to 64 age group and under 5 percent within the over sixty five age institution.

At the united states degree, the percentage of consumers who knowingly bought counterfeit items varies among 24 percentage in Bulgaria and 8 percent in Finland.

The harm

The harm of product piracy indicates up on many tiers. For one issue, they may be damaging Europe Business annually by way of greater than 60 billion euros. In Austria it turned into around one billion euros in 2019. According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, the range of confiscated shipments expanded by means of round a hundred and fifty percent in 2021 compared to the preceding yr.

Had been in particular affected fakes that were bought over the net and brought by put up. In previous years, Austrian customs intercepted 8,210 shipments with 317,814 counterfeit products with a complete value of 12.3 million euros.

But that’s now not all: Loud studies of the OECD and EUIPO counterfeit products and their smuggling are an increasing number of growing jobs in the IP-extensive enterprise.