European Union detains 112 million counterfeit items worth €3.8 billion in 2024

These figures, published by the European Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), reflect the ongoing strength of coordinated enforcement efforts across customs, police, and market surveillance authorities in all EU Member States.

Customs authorities detained about 20 million articles at the EU border, with an estimated value of €1.5 billon, representing a ten-year high.

However, the report also shows the current challenges authorities face including a significant surge in trade volumes-particularly in e-commerce-and evolving geopolitical dynamics and global crises. The Customs Reform will play a key role in addressing these challenges.

Trends in Intellectual Property (IP) enforcement

While the total number of items seized is lower than the exceptional record set in 2023, this year still marks the second highest in the series. Compared to 2022, detentions in 2024 are up by over 30%, underscoring the persistent scale and complexity of intellectual property (IP) infringement across both physical and digital marketplaces.

Notably, despite fewer items being detained, the estimated value of detentions in 2024 reached its highest recorded level. This apparent increase is attributed to higher unit prices of the counterfeit goods seized, reflecting a shift in the nature and market impact of IP-infringing products.

Counterfeit goods continue to threaten consumer safety, fair competition, and innovation-ranging from traditional items such as clothing, toys, body care items such as perfumes and cosmetics, and recorded CDs/DVDs (including software) to newer categories like e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

Emerging technologies are fuelling the proliferation of more sophisticated counterfeits, while rising demand for application software and retro-gaming content has ignited a surge in copyright-infringing counterfeits.

In 2024, the authorities from 7 Member States generated 90% of the volume and value of counterfeit goods detained. Specifically:

• Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Poland accounted for 90% of the total volume of items detained.
• Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, and Netherlands were responsible for 90% of the total estimated value.
• When it comes to border enforcement, the United Arab Emirates entered the top three countries of origin for counterfeit goods, alongside the "usual suspects" China and Türkiye. This could possibly indicate a shift in the global supply chain. Despite the surging e-commerce volumes and related detentions, sea cargo remains the primary mode of transport for detained articles at the border.

Overall, the report highlights the need for an urgent update of the enforcement system, be it to keep citizens safe from potentially dangerous products or protect domestic industry from theft of intellectual property.

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