A number of European Union (EU) member states and three non-EU countries implemented Operation “Fake Star” last year, during which counterfeit goods worth 87 million euros were confiscated, as well as several hundred legal proceedings were initiated and 378 persons related to the counterfeiting business were arrested, informed In the Patent Office.
Content will continue after the ad
Advertising
The operation was organized in the second half of 2022 by law enforcement authorities in Spain and Greece in cooperation with the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), but involved a total of 14 EU member states and three non-EU countries – Serbia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the operation was to detect and confiscate counterfeits of popular brands, identify the latest trends, find out the places of origin of counterfeit goods and reveal possible distribution routes, as well as identify criminals and criminal organizations closely related to the counterfeit business.
The information obtained shows that clothing, shoes, luxury goods including bags, wallets, perfumes, cosmetics and watches are still the most popular counterfeit categories. On the other hand, during the “Fake Star” operation, most sports and luxury brand goods were confiscated.
As a result of the operation, it was concluded that social media plays a major role in the spread of fakes, where traders openly publish photos of fake clothes and shoes available for sale. Also, law enforcement authorities have discovered that counterfeits from countries outside the EU often arrive incomplete, and their packaging and the addition of counterfeit trademarks take place in the country for whose market these goods are intended, that is, workshops with sewing machines and laser printers have also been opened in some countries, where the production of counterfeit goods takes place completion. Counterfeit goods prepared for sale were also found in these workshops.
Director of the Patent Board Agris Batalauskis emphasizes that very similar trends are observed in Latvia as well – e-commerce and social media have played an important role in the spread of counterfeits here in recent years, where private individuals openly sell counterfeits, while some advertisement portals support the spread of counterfeits. The large-scale operation carried out in European countries at the end of last year confirms that the spread of counterfeiting can only be combated by all together – countries, international organizations and the responsible institutions of each country acting together and in harmony.
In total, during the 3,921 inspections of Operation “Fake Star” nearly two million 258 counterfeit brand goods worth 87 million euros were confiscated. Inspections were carried out in various places – 2396 shops, 717 street markets, 293 border crossing points, 187 warehouses, 313 courier companies and 11 production plants.
646 legal proceedings and 1311 administrative cases have been initiated in the member states, and 378 persons have been arrested for their close connection with the counterfeiting business. In addition, a number of those arrested have been linked to other criminal activities unrelated to the counterfeit market.
Content will continue after the ad
Advertising
2023-08-01 17:04:02
#Fake #star #million #euros #worth #goods #seized #operation #Europe #people #arrested
