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Despite all efforts to raise awareness about the consequences and risks of product piracy, more and more Europeans are buying counterfeit branded goods. This is the conclusion of a study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which was published on Monday at its official headquarters in Alicante, Spain.

More than one in eight respondents admitted to knowingly buying counterfeit products such as clothes, shoes, smartwatches or perfumes in the past 12 months. That is 13 percent – eight percentage points more than in the last representative EUIPO survey on intellectual property perceptions in 2020.

Younger people in particular are taking it

For 15 to 24-year-olds, that share was even 26 percent. That is 16 percentage points more than about three years ago. The study makes it clear that more needs to be done for consumer protection, said EUIPO Executive Director Christian Archambeau. Price was cited as the main reason for buying counterfeits.

Bulgaria with 24 percent as well as Spain (20), Ireland, Luxembourg (both 19) and Romania (18) are well above the EU average. Finland is on the “better” side of the ranking at eight percent.

Most know the problem

Product piracy is a billion dollar business. But also a criminal. And the vast majority of EU citizens are aware of this. About 80 percent agreed that counterfeit goods support criminal organizations and endanger businesses and jobs. Two-thirds said they knew that counterfeiting posed a threat to consumer health and safety and to the environment.

Europeans are “increasingly aware of the risks and consequences of buying counterfeit goods and accessing content from illegal sources,” according to EUIPO. And yet, according to the survey, almost every third EU citizen still considers the purchase of counterfeit goods acceptable. Among younger consumers between the ages of 15 and 24, the share of people with this attitude in the EU even rises from 31 to 50 percent.

When it comes to online content, 80 percent of Europeans surveyed said they were against the use of illegal content. They prefer to use legal sources to access online content when there is an affordable option.

However, a large majority of 65 percent said it was acceptable to download content illegally if it was not available from legal sources. According to their own statements, 14 percent have knowingly accessed content from illegal sources in the past twelve months. (aeg/sda/awp/dpa)