Consumption: young Europeans increasingly tempted by counterfeiting

A customs officer in front of counterfeit objects seized in Marseille in November 2016. AFP - ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

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A new report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) published on the occasion of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day highlights the high proportion of young people using counterfeit products.

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According

, which surveyed 22,021 European Union nationals, the intentional consumption of counterfeit products and content infringing intellectual property laws is on the rise for the year 2021. last year, one in three young Europeans deliberately bought counterfeit products, driven by the price difference with the originals.

Counterfeiting is much cheaper, justifies half of the young people questioned.

Figures that " 

" the Office of the European Union for Intellectual Property.

A year ago, another study claimed that almost 6% of imports from the European Union were counterfeit.

In France, the survey, carried out among young people aged 15 to 24, reveals that 29% of them intentionally purchased a counterfeit product in 2021, while 29% knowingly accessed pirated content during the same period, compared to 10% and 24% respectively in 2019.

Regarding intentional purchases of counterfeit products at European level, France is in 24th place, well below the average, while young Greeks appear as the first consumers at 62%.

online counterfeiting

Counterfeiting includes both imitations of objects and pirated digital products.

In this area, France ranks third in terms of intentional piracy, the first place being occupied by Malta, with 43% of 15-24 year olds admitting to having illegally accessed digital content.

On the Internet, counterfeits are easily accessible and with the Covid-19 pandemic, online commerce has increased sharply.

Online, the choice of young fraudsters is particularly focused on films and series, then on music, software, video games or even sporting events, such as live football matches for example. 

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(With Agencies)

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