86 million fake items with a value of more than EUR 2 billion detained in the EU in 2022

Approximately 86 million fake items were detained in the European Union in 2022 (at the EU external border and in the internal market), according to a joint report by the EUIPO and the European Commission published today. The estimated value of fake items detained in the EU amounted to over EUR 2 billion, an increase of approximately 3 % in 2022 compared to 2021.

The report also shows that the five most detained products, in terms of the number of items detained in the whole EU, were games, packaging material, toys, cigarettes and recorded CDs/DVDs. These items accounted for more than 72 % of the products recorded. By shipping this cheap packaging material separately from the valuable, but still unbranded, IP infringing goods and assembling both inside the EU, infringers try to avoid detentions.

While the number of items detained at the EU border in 2022 went down by 43 % in 2022 compared to 2021, their value increased by 11 % compared to the previous year, because more items with a higher domestic retail value were detained than in the previous year. When it comes to internal market detentions, more fake goods were stopped by police and market surveillance authorities than in 2021 (an increase of almost 26 %). The value of those goods decreased, however, due to the higher percentage of detained items belonging to cheaper product categories.

The report is based on figures provided by police, customs and market surveillance authorities from EU Member States in 2022 and published today by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in a joint document on ‘EU enforcement of intellectual property rights: results at the EU border and in the EU internal market 2022’. The joint annual document shows the annual results for enforcement of IP rights by EU enforcers at the EU border and in the EU internal market respectively.

Ten Member States (Italy, France, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Hungary, Greece and Portugal) accounted for over 96 % of the total number of fake items detained in 2022 in the EU. Italy accounted for over half of the total number of fake items, and for over 33 % in terms of estimated value.

As in previous years, China remains the main country of origin for the majority of fake goods entering the EU in 2022, followed by Türkiye (from which the most detained category is clothing) and Hong Kong, China (from which the most detained category is related to mobile phone accessories). In 2022, postal and express courier remained the most significant means of transport in terms of the number of cases registered.

This joint document aims to provide useful information to support the analysis of IPR infringement in the EU and the development of appropriate countermeasures by relevant enforcement authorities, since the figures allow for a better understanding of the scope and extent of the problem. On a broader scale, it should provide EU policymakers with data for developing evidence-based priorities and policies.

EU Customs reform

The European Commission’s proposals for an ambitious reform of the EU’s Customs Union, put forward earlier this year, will help crack down on the ability of fraudsters to import fake goods into the EU. First, the proposed new system will give customs authorities a real-time bird's-eye view of the data related to supply chains and production processes of goods entering the EU, enabling customs to respond more quickly, consistently and effectively to risks, including goods that infringe intellectual property rights. Second, a new EU Customs Authority will substantially improve cooperation between customs and market surveillance and law enforcement authorities at EU and national level, allowing for better risk management and to prevent so-called ‘border shopping’ where counterfeiters look for the easiest route into the EU.

86 million fake items with a value of more than EUR 2 billion detained in the EU in 2022

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