On 17 March 2022, the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) and OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) published a study on dangerous fake products. The study found that most dangerous fakes are found among textiles, automotive spare parts, optical, and medical apparatuses and pharmaceuticals. China and Hong Kong are the most important exporters of dangerous fakes.
Please find the study here and the executive summary here.
All counterfeit products may pose a risk to health and safety, as they generally do not respect the health and safety requirements. The study looks at products that are subject to specific safety standards and/or are under the scope of the US Food and Drugs Administration.
China and Hong Kong account for almost three quarters of the seizures. The EU and the US are the most common destination of counterfeit products.
Undoubtedly, the rise of counterfeit goods is linked to the increase of e-commerce, since the most common method of shipping dangerous goods is by small postal parcels.
The study found out that most dangerous fakes were perfumery and cosmetics, clothing, toys, automotive spare parts and pharmaceuticals. Most of these goods were shipped from China (55%) and Hong Kong (19%). 60% of the counterfeit goods were shipped by post. Sea shipping was however more important in terms of value, 60% of counterfeit products were sold online.
E-commerce increased and supply chains have become more vulnerable during the COVID crisis that is likely to have accelerated the growing trend in counterfeit products.
