According to a recent report published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), every year customs services in Europe burden the companies that own intellectual property rights for their products with nearly half a million euro for the destruction of confiscated fake goods. We are talking mostly about sports shoes, clothing, perfumes, and cosmetics.
Furthermore, the companies cannot always exert their rights over the intellectual property because often there is simply not enough storage space. The counterfeit products that are confiscated by the police forces are processed in the same way as other seized goods, so its difficult for the expenses to be differentiated. In most European Union member states those expenses are covered by the police.
What is more, this process must correspond with the global approach for handling waste. The destruction of certain types of goods - such as medicines, cosmetics, and lighters - presents a great challenge both for the responsible bodies, and the holders of rights.
As a result, all of us are paying, and the owners of intellectual property rights cannot acquire them.
