EU fights fakes

The number of counterfeit and pirated articles seized at the external borders of the European Union is continuing to increase. "In 2004 EU customs seized some 103 million articles. It's a 1,000-percent increase compared to 1998," says EU Taxation and Customs Commissioner, László Kovács. Some 54 percent of all seized goods originated in China.

The production of fake goods is thriving as the profits are high, while the risk of penalties is low. "One kilogram of CDs guarantees more profit than one kilogram of cannabis," admits Kovács. He says the EU is planning to step up its efforts to counter piracy. Among other measures, it wants to improve legislation to target distributors and producers of fake goods, and improve cooperation between customs inspectors and industry.

In Poland, 361 cases were intercepted and 773,081 articles seized. The majority of these counterfeit goods were clothing and accessories, 11 percent of which originated in China. Some 23 percent of them were pirated Adidas goods, 18 percent Nike and seven percent Puma. Nineteen percent of seized products were perfumes and cosmetics, 15 percent cigarettes and 13 percent CDs, DVDs and cassettes.

Most fakes are now household items rather than luxury goods. One of the reasons for this explosion in trade of counterfeit products is that criminals can now produce them on an industrial scale. The EU says such piracy is a serious threat to the economy. "The cost of fake goods is estimated at EUR 500 [zł.1,971] billion, which is 10 times more than the EU's spending on agriculture," says Kovács.