A total of around 152 million counterfeit items were seized by police, customs, and market surveillance authorities in the European Union in 2023 – this represents a staggering increase of 77% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the estimated value of counterfeits seized also skyrocketed, by 68% to around 3.4 billion euros. This was revealed in the report on the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the EU published jointly by the European Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in November 2024.
According to the report, a major factor in the sharp increase is the significant rise in seizures within the EU internal market, which accounted for more than 90% of the total number of articles seized. At around 138 million articles and a value of 2.7 billion euros, this figure reached a peak – the highest level in the last twelve years. Italy played a crucial role in this: over 80% of all counterfeits seized in the internal market came from operations in the Mediterranean country, followed by France, Romania, and Spain. Germany is also among the top 10 of the participating member states in the statistics.
In contrast, seizures at the EU’s external borders fell sharply, according to the report. The number of articles seized dropped from around 24 million in 2022 to around 17.5 million in 2023, a decrease of 27% and the lowest it has been in the last ten years. The estimated value of these goods also decreased by 14% to around 811 million euros. There were similarly strong declines in the results of the customs seizures in Germany in 2023, as published in the German customs statistics a few months ago.
In 2023, the industries most affected included, in particular, games, toys, and recorded CDs/DVDs. The growing number of packaging materials and labels confiscated, both of which can be found in the top five of seized goods, again points to increasing manufacturing networks of counterfeiters within the EU. Reportedly, counterfeit products are being produced from unbranded goods within the EU, in order to impede or avoid confiscation at the EU’s borders.
Just as in previous years, the report shows that trademark rights are the most frequently violated intellectual property rights (over 84%), followed by copyrights and protected designs. The People’s Republic of China remains the main country of origin of counterfeit goods (accounting for around 56%), followed by the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong (around 9%) and Turkey (about 8%).
Little change has also been observed in the transportation routes of counterfeit goods: In 2023, most seizures were again made in the mail and express delivery sectors. However, when looking at the number of confiscated items for the various modes of transport, sea freight remains the predominant route for counterfeit goods.
The EU and EUIPO report also highlights the role of improved international cooperation, notably through the security initiative EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats). Stronger cooperation between law enforcement agencies and rights holders has reportedly contributed significantly to the success. It remains to be seen how effective the new anti‑counterfeiting measures proposed by the European Commission in early 2024 will be in building on the successes of 2023.