The International Anti-Counterfeiting Directory 2007

A key information resource in the fight against counterfeiting - detailing leading law firms, technology companies and investigators involved in anti-counterfeiting throughout the world. (Download) (1.86 MB)

The Economic impact of Counterfeiting and Piracy

Analysis carried out in this report indicates that international trade in counterfeit and pirated products could have been up to USD 200 billion in 2005. This total does not include domestically produced and consumed counterfeit and pirated products and the significant volume of pirated digital products being distributed via the Internet. If these items were added, the total magnitude of counterfeiting and piracy worldwide could well be several hundred billion dollars more.

Counterfeiting and piracy are illicit businesses in which criminal networks thrive. The report shows that the items that they and other counterfeiters and pirates produce and distribute are often substandard and can even be dangerous, posing health and safety risks that range from mild to life-threatening. Economy-wide, counterfeiting and piracy undermine innovation, which is key to economic growth. (Download)

Global Survey on Counterfeiting & Piracy

This report outlines key findings from the BASCAP Global Survey on Counterfeiting and Piracy. The main goal of the survey is to evaluate corporate perceptions of the degree to which countries protect – or fail to protect – intellectual property from the threat of piracy and counterfeiting. The additional goal of the survey is to develop a broader understanding of how corporate decision makers evaluate what we term the “intellectual property environment”, or “IP environment”: the set of legislative, enforcement, and public awareness dimensions that together make up the intellectual property system of a particular country. (Download)

Effective Enforcement Needed To Fight Counterfeiting And Piracy

JUNE 2007: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has called for more effective enforcement in dealing with counterfeiting and piracy crimes.

Quoting the findings of the OECD's study on counterfeiting and piracy which was released Monday, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in a statement said that the study was a vital step to understanding the global scope of counterfeiting.

It said the OECD study showed that consumers were increasingly put at risk of harm or even death from unsafe and ineffective counterfeit products including medicines, auto parts, electrical components and an array of other goods. (Read more...)

Counterfeit cigarettes contain disturbing toxic substances

The ICC Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau (CIB) has previously reported that counterfeit cigarettes have been known to contain a mixture of lethal substance well in excess of the toxins found in ordinary cigarettes. Now a new report issued by a special division of Canada’s national police force has identified even more disturbing items found inside counterfeit cigarettes. (Read more...)

Counterfeit electrical goods are shocking

Concerned about the increasing prevalence and danger of counterfeit electrical goods on the US market, ICC’s Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau (CIB) is reminding consumers to purchase only certified products from authorized retailers. (Read more...)

Combating counterfeits: first, control your licensing

Faced with the overwhelming proliferation of counterfeiting in recent years, it is tempting to despair. For a long time many companies have protected their intellectual property (IP) through an ever-increasing round of investigations, seizures, raids and prosecutions.

In recent years, a lot of energy has gone into strengthening global IP laws, with some success. A global survey on counterfeiting and piracy published on 29 January 2007 by Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP)1, found that in a study of 48 member companies across 27 industries, it was rarely the IP laws that were inadequate – instead, it was the way in which the laws were enforced that respondents chose to criticise. (Read more...) (1.94 MB)

Counterfeit Products and Faulty Supply Chain

Companies confront a broad scope of risks, from compliance matters and regulatory risks to catastrophic threats and reputation risks. The risk management officer's principal role in most companies is to identify, analyze and manage risks for the company. However, the complicated risk profile involved in counterfeiting and the gray market can make it more difficult for risk managers to combat brand integrity risks. (Read more...)

Global software piracy

According to a Business Software Alliance study of global trends in software piracy, in 2005 the worldwide rate of personal computer software piracy stood at 35 percent, a one percentage point decrease on the 2003 global rate. The rate of software piracy in each country was calculated by subtracting the units of legitimate packaged software paid for during the year from total units of packaged software put to use during that year. The resulting number was the divided by total units of packaged software to produce a percentage rate. In 2003, 2004 and 2005 the highest rates of software piracy were recorded in Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Ukraine and China. In these countries between 85 and 93 percent of the software put to use each year was thought to be pirated. Other countries with high rates of software piracy in 2005 included Pakistan (86%), Kazakhstan (85%), Russia (83%), and Venezuela (82%). Countries with low piracy rates in 2005 included the United States (21%), New Zealand (23%), the UK (27%), Japan (28%), Australia (31%) and Canada (33%). The highest estimated monetary losses (in $US) due to software piracy in 2005 were experienced by the United States ($6,895 million), China ($3,884 million) and France ($3,191 million). Globally, it is estimated that $34,297 million was lost due to software piracy in 2005, up from $32,711 million in 2004 and $28,794 million in 2003. (Read more...)

The Counterfeiting Conundrum

APRIL 2006: The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, a lobbying group for companies like Nike, Calvin Klein, Microsoft and Rolex among others, just named a new president, Nils Montan. Montan comes from Warner Bros. where for the past 14 years as an intellectual property lawyer he fought piracy, first in the form of bootleg VHS tapes, then bootleg DVD and, more recently, Internet distribution of pirated entertainment. CSO spoke with Montan about the changing landscape of counterfeiting and piracy, the changing image of the IACC and what he hopes to accomplish as its president. (Listen to podcast)

Online distribution of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals

Consumers are increasingly replacing a trip to the pharmacy with a more convenient click on the Internet, where they find Web sites offering impressive variety and availability, competitive pricing, and a positive customer experience. In today’s highly competitive environment, online pharmacies are attracting new customers by offering convenience and a sense of privacy difficult to achieve at a local pharmacy.

Unfortunately, the Internet is also a burgeoning channel for the distribution of counterfeit drugs. (Read more...)

Addressing Global Scope of Intellectual Property Law

Intellectual property describes the “ideas, inventions, technologies, artworks, music, and literature, that are intangible when they are first created, but become valuable and tangible as they become products.” IPR's are becoming a growing concern for both criminal and civil justice systems worldwide given the ease with which many types of products are quickly and inexpensively reproduced. The current study sought to assess the current laws and enforcement efforts, in a global context, aimed at the protection of IPR's, as well as to examine weaknesses in current law and enforcement efforts. (Read more...)

Fraud busters

With the loss to genuine UK manufacturing running into billions an effective anti-counterfeiting programme is a must, says Gary Miller

APRIL 2007: THE EFFECT of counterfeiting in the UK is profound. In 2004 the estimated loss to this country’s manufacturing was £8bn and fake items seized at EU borders topped 103 million.

With counterfeiters producing everything from toys and games to aircraft parts and branded drinks, the risk of intellectual property (IP) theft is on the increase.

An effective anti-counterfeiting programme focuses on three key areas — preventing counterfeiting from occurring; detecting if counterfeit goods are entering the marketplace; and taking action to recoup lost profits if counterfeiting does occur. (Read more...)