Last year, German customs officials seized counterfeit goods worth a total of around 417 million euros. This is double the value of counterfeit goods seized in 2023 and brings the figure close to the numbers reported by customs for 2022. This is according to the new annual customs statistics for 2024 and the report on intellectual property rights protection for 2024 by the General Customs Directorate, which were presented in June by Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Dr. Armin Rolfink, President of the General Customs Directorate.
In addition to the value of the counterfeit goods seized, the number of items confiscated also rose significantly, increasing by more than 50% to around 5 million counterfeit items in 2024, up from around 3.3 million in 2023. At the same time, however, customs reported only 16,857 seizures of suspected counterfeit goods in 2024. This represents a decline compared to the previous year (2023: 20,179), which is all the more remarkable given that both the total value and the total number of counterfeit goods seized rose significantly.
A closer look at the figures shows that the value of confiscated goods has risen significantly in several product categories. Leading the way is the personal accessories category, which includes items such as accessories, eyewear, bags, etc., with a total value of approx. 226 million euros. This represents a huge increase compared to the previous year (around 86 million euros in 2023). The value of seized goods in the clothing and accessories category also more than doubled, to approx. 82.5 million euros (2023: around 33.7 million euros).
Of the approximately 5 million counterfeit products seized by German customs authorities in 2024, one of the largest quantities once again came from the clothing and clothing accessories sector, with around 765,000 items seized – a significant increase compared to the previous year (2023: approx. 511,000). Customs also saw an increase in personal care products, such as perfumes and cosmetics, to around 586,000 units (2023: about 559,000). There was also a particularly sharp rise in the number of jewelry items, watches, and accessories seized – the personal accessories category rose to around 439,000 items (2023: around 188,000). An enormous increase was also reported in the tobacco products category – to around 194,000 (2023: approx. 15,000). The category of cell phones, including accessories, saw a sharp rise to 295,000 – an increase of around 80% (2023: around 162,000). In contrast, the number of counterfeit medicines fell significantly to only around 11,000 items (2023: approx. 46,000). In the case of electronic equipment, there was a moderate decline in the number of seized counterfeit products to 280,000 (2023: approx. 290,000).
In terms of the number of goods seized by country of origin, China remains the clear leader with around 39% – although this represents a noticeable decline compared to 2023 (then around 48%). As in previous years, Türkiye and Hong Kong continue to rank highly, both accounting for around 12% in 2024. There was a striking increase in goods seized from Slovakia and Indonesia, accounting for 12% and 10% of counterfeit goods seized in 2024, respectively. Neither country of origin had played a significant role back in 2023. Other notable countries of origin in 2024 included Korea with around 4%, the United Kingdom with around 3%, and the United States with around 2% of the total number of counterfeits seized.
Looking at the transport routes of seized counterfeit goods, it is noticeable that, as in previous years, the majority of seizures were made in postal traffic (around 70%). In terms of the value of the goods, air transport once again dominated, accounting for over half of the total value of the goods seized. In contrast, postal traffic accounted for only around 10% of the value of the goods seized, although it represented a significantly higher number of cases. This is in line with an increasing number of small consignments from e‑commerce shops, such as the Chinese online marketplace Temu. In addition, road transport has gained in importance and now plays a key role, accounting for almost 40% of the number of counterfeits seized and around 20% of the value of goods.
In terms of the intellectual property rights infringed by the seized products, trademark violations remained prevalent in 2024 and rose further to around 86% (2023: around 75%), based on the quantity of goods seized. The second largest share, design infringements, fell slightly compared to the previous year to around 8% (2023: around 10%). Violations of protected geographical indications accounted for just around 6% of the items seized last year (2023: around 15%). Infringements of copyright, patents, and trade names were rarely detected in 2024.
The President of the General Customs Directorate, Dr. Armin Rolfink, thanked customs employees for their efforts. Together with German Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil, he also emphasized the importance of customs work for the German economy at a press conference.
