Top-News // Economy news

AI is fueling a boom in counterfeiting

EU: Behörden ziehen 2024 erneut über 100 Millionen Fälschungen aus dem Verkehr

Top-News // News from customs and authorities

EU: Authorities to confiscate over 100 million counterfeits in 2024

Zollstatistik 2024: Deutscher Zoll meldet deutlich mehr Beschlagnahmungen

Top-News // News from customs and authorities

Customs results for 2024: German customs report surge in seizures

ANTI-PIRACY ANALYST NEWS PORTAL

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News from customs and authorities

Europe’s Largest Counterfeit Perfume Factory Dismantled

14. March 2026

Spanish authorities have dismantled a criminal organization that was manufacturing counterfeit perfume on a large scale and distributing it across Europe. Following months of investigations, goods worth more than 94 million euros were seized.

EU: Authorities to confiscate over 100 million counterfeits in 2024

News from customs and authorities 6. November 2025

Customs results for 2024: German customs report surge in seizures

News from customs and authorities 30. July 2025

EU: Huge increase in counterfeit seizures in 2023

News from customs and authorities 8. December 2024

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Economy news

AI is fueling a boom in counterfeiting

23. March 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly driving down costs and increasing the pace of counterfeiting. According to recent reports and industry experiences, brand owners and online retailers may face massive challenges.

50 years of Plagiarius: Negative award highlights brazen imitations

21. March 2026

Mercedes-Benz reports hundreds of raids for 2024

3. November 2025

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Know-how and tips

Year in review: Your highlights from 2025

1. March 2026

Join us as we look back on the last twelve months: our year in review for brand protection and counterfeiting features startling statistics, latest analyses and plans, as well as news and background reports on all things brand protection from 2025.

PATINFO2025: Join the discussion about patents, standards, and search

Know-how and tips 7. April 2025

The year in review – your highlights of 2024

Know-how and tips 10. December 2024

ARD report looks into business with luxury counterfeits

Know-how and tips 2. December 2024

Study: Trade in counterfeits amounts to hundreds of billions of euros annually

3. November 2025

According to a recent study by OECD and EUIPO, the global cross-border trade in counterfeit goods alone exceeds 400 billion euros every year. Fake products thus account for around 2.3% of international world trade.

EU study: Counterfeiting as a challenge in Europe

20. May 2025

Against a backdrop of lacking awareness, new technologies, and high costs of living, counterfeiting remains a major challenge in Europe. Authorities also expect illegal production to shift into the EU. The recent EU SOCTA report highlights some key developments.

Study: Mechanical engineering heavily affected by counterfeiting

10. June 2024

Every second company in the mechanical engineering sector in Germany is affected by counterfeiting, a new study by the industry association VDMA says. However, it also suggests that companies can protect themselves well with the right measures.

Hamburger Containerhafen_Wert der grenzüberschreitend gehandelten Plagiate

$464 BILLION DOLLARS^*
is the value of fake products traded across borders – year for year

*OECD/EUIPO, Global Trade in Fakes – a Worrying Threat, 2021 (estimates for 2019)

5,8% der Importe in die EU sind gefälscht

5,8 PERCENT^*
of all imports into the EU are fake – amounting to about 119 billion euros annually

*OECD/EUIPO, Global Trade in Fakes – a Worrying Threat, 2021 (estimates for 2019)

Arbeiter mit Schutzbrille_betroffene Firmen

3 OUT OF 4 COMPANIES^*
are strongly or even very strongly affected by counterfeiting (approx. 71%)

*Karg und Petersen/Arvato Systems, Brand Protection Study 2022 (kup.listudy)

Arme verschränkt_Unternehmen erwarten Verschärfung

95 PERCENT^*
of companies expect the counterfeiting problem to get worse or do not rule this out

*Karg und Petersen/Arvato Systems, Brand Protection Study 2022 (kup.listudy)

Firmen setzen auf innovative Markenschutz-Maßnahmen

3 OUT OF 4 COMPANIES^*
successfully use innovative anti-counterfeiting approaches – such as special brand protection communications

*Karg und Petersen/Arvato Systems, Brand Protection Study 2022 (kup.listudy)

News from legislation and politics

Customs checks: Companies said to deliberately allow counterfeits to go through

5. November 2025

According to reports in Belgian media, brand owners often allow counterfeit goods that have been intercepted by customs officials to pass through. The dreaded consequence: Belgium might become a gateway for counterfeit goods into Europe.

EU plans customs reform and new fee on low‑value imports

News from legislation and politics 25. July 2025

Vileda fights counterfeiting on Temu

News from legislation and politics 5. July 2025

Temu: New measures planned regarding Chinese online stores

News from legislation and politics 5. June 2024

Deutschland Beschlagnahmungen Luxusartikel

Customs officials in Germany seize over 22,000 counterfeit luxury items

When inspecting a container from China, officers of the Stralsund Main Customs Office seized more than 22,000 counterfeit perfume bottles, shoes, and bags. The value of the counterfeit goods is estimated at around one million euros.

France: Almost 11 million counterfeit toys seized

In a major ation against online trade in counterfeit goods, French customs authorities and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) seized a total of more than 10.7 million counterfeit toys in 2025.

Frankreich Massenhafte Beschlagnahmungen von Plüschtieren bis Elektronik

France: Huge seizures of counterfeits, from soft toys to electronics

More than 70,000 counterfeit products were removed from circulation by customs officials in France in the summer of 2025 in a series of remarkable actions. The confiscated counterfeits infringed well‑known brands and included fake electronics as well as sports products and toys.

Luxusmarke bekommt Millionen-Entschädigung zugesprochen

Luxury brand awarded millions in compensation

The luxury brand Louis Vuitton has achieved a remarkable legal victory in the USA: in a lawsuit against an indoor market, the French company was awarded a 584 million US dollar default judgment.

News in brief

Customs wins, counterfeits, grey marketing – news in brief

18. March 2026

Belgium: Customs in Liège inspects 0.006 percent of consignments // Netherlands: Showroom for counterfeit fashion uncovered // Bavaria: Customs seize tons of counterfeit brand-name goods // Baden-Württemberg: Customs seize thousands of grey market electronics // Europol: Medicines worth 33 million euros seized

Karg und Petersen – Anti-Piracy Analyst