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China is responsible for the production of 79% of the world’s counterfeit products seized in shipping containers according to newly-issued data from 2016.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued a report with the findings on Monday.
According to the report “The Illicit Use of Containerized Shipping in the Global Counterfeit Trade”, shipping, which accounts for more than 80% of all international trade, is responsible for 56% of the total value of seized counterfeits.
The report — titled “Misuse of Containerized Maritime Shipping in the Global Trade of Counterfeits” — suggests that shipping containers account for more than 80% of international trade and were used to carry 56% of the total value of seized counterfeits.
Maritime transport authorities are not entirely effective because physical inspection of all containers is needed to detect counterfeits. The report says that only 2% of all containers are physically inspected, giving counterfeits free rein.
Data collected by EUIPO suggests that as of 2016, the illicit use of international trade for counterfeit products has a value of €460 billion, representing more than 3% of all global trade.
Those counterfeits account for 6.8 % of EU imports, with a value of close to €121 billion.
The report also places China at the top of the list of receiving countries, with 225.8 million containers in 2018, 28.5% of the total counterfeits. The United States follows China with 54.7 million and a 6.9% share.
