Online counterfeiting is increasing rapidly
Helena Rother, 2023 - senior associate, Communications and Research, at the International Trademark Association “Evaluating corporate anti-counterfeiting efforts after the pandemic” World Trademark Review, 9/29,
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Counterfeiting on the rise
In the final quarter of 2022, INTA surveyed its international corporate membership In-house legal teams at geographically diverse companies of various industries and sizes. The survey revealed that counterfeiting is becoming a pernicious issue for most companies. Nearly two-thirds of respondents observed that anti-counterfeiting work has increased since the start of the pandemic. While respondents gave various reasons for this, over three-fifths directly attributed the increase in the volume of anti-counterfeiting work to the pandemic and the economic downturn. As one respondent lamented: “[There has been] a spectacular increase of fraud attempts online during the pandemic.” Recent economic, political and technological changes such as supply chain crises, the growth of online marketplaces, the legalisation of marijuana in certain US states, and more, have also created a favourable environment for counterfeiters to expand their operations.