Officials in over 30 countries have seized more than 1,000 tonnes of illegal pesticides in a major operation. The action also highlights that illegal crop protection products are increasingly being made within the EU – and that counterfeiting of brand‑name pesticides is on the rise.

Using a sophisticated network of dozens of bogus companies and online accounts, a suspected fraudster allegedly sold fake Cisco products for several years, often to public‑sector customers. US authorities have now released details of the indictment – and interesting insights into the alleged counterfeiting schemes.

Join the discussion at PATINFO2022 in Thuringia – learn more about internationalization and digitalization in the IP world and get insights into new laws and frameworks for protecting IP rights.

More than one in three young adults in Europe deliberately buys counterfeits, says a recent EUIPO study. This indicates that the share of buyers of fakes has more than doubled recently. One reason is the Covid-19 pandemic – but apparently also a generally high level of acceptance.

Counterfeiting causes damages worth billions in the mechanical engineering sector, a new study by the German industry association VDMA shows. About three in four German companies are affected – and one country newly moves into the top 3 countries of origin.

Looking for powerful ways to protect their businesses and brands against counterfeiting, many companies are successfully turning to special marketing communications as well as track & trace technologies. This is a result of the comprehensive Brand Protection Study 2022, which has now been published by Arvato Systems and Karg und Petersen.

E‑commerce platforms in China are fully banking on technical IP protection measures, says a study by China’s IP office CNIPA. The analysis also warns against the sale of counterfeits via live shopping and gaps in brand protection in cross‑border trade.

EU Parliament adopts DSA // Video game developers take creative steps against piracy // Wine counterfeiting ring dismantled in France // Counterfeit chocolate seized in the UK