IP Crime and Enforcement Report: 2017 to 2018

The annual IP crime and enforcement report published by the UK IPO and IP Crime Group provides an insight into statistical data and emerging trends in counterfeiting and piracy in the UK and overseas. This year’s report also includes case studies showing successful IP enforcement cases brought by Trading Standards.

The report brings to light the extent of illicit trade and its effects on the economy and businesses trading in the UK, and acts as a practical reminder to IP right owners of the importance of protection of their rights.

Some of the highlights:

• According to the 2017 OECD Report, almost 4% of all UK imports in 2013, worth £9.3 billion, were counterfeit.
• Between November 2016 and October 2017, 16,632 domains were suspended for criminal activity - more than double the previous year’s figures.
• The growth of e-commerce is increasing the availability of illicit merchandise. Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Gumtree, Amazon and Alibaba have become favorites for counterfeiters to sell their infringing products.
• In the ‘past three months’, 15% of UK internet users aged 12+ (that is more than 6.5 million people) consumed (engaged with?) at least one item of illegal online content. Among the most often cited reasons for doing so were ‘Convenience’ (41%) and ‘it is free’ (44%).
• The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) reports a drop of 33% in the number of illegal downloads of bit-torrent and stream rippers. Nevertheless, piracy remains a problem area as 426 million illegal musical tracks were downloaded last year. In its attempt to tackle the issue, the BPI submitted over 200 million URLs to Google and Bing search engines for removal.
• Focus for IP crime investigation remains on counterfeit clothing, tobacco, cosmetics, footwear and alcohol. This year saw an increase in the volume of investigations relating to toys, cosmetics and make-up.

The full report can be found here.

Have you got appropriate anti-counterfeit measures in place? Should you wish to discuss protection of your IP rights across the UK and EU boarders, please do not hesitate to contact one of our IP Practitioners based in London.