Annual IP crime and enforcement report: 2018 to 2019

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published the Annual IP crime and enforcement report: 2018 to 2019. It is a collaboration between the IPO, enforcement agencies and industry representatives that make up the IP Crime Group.

Top findings for the year are that millennials are the most likely of all age groups to fall victim to counterfeit scams. Around half of 25 to 34 year-olds buy fake electrical goods online unintentionally.

The most counterfeited or pirated products are tobacco, clothing, cosmetics and footwear. This is according to Trading Standards.

The global trade in counterfeit vehicle-related parts is now worth a colossal $10 billion. This is according to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The Anti Crime Group collaboration has led to positive results:

  • 32,813 website domains have been suspended for criminal activity compared to 16,632 the previous year
  • over the past ten years more than 500 UK markets have committed to be ‘fake free’
  • the Premier League removed or blocked over 210,000 live streams and over 360,000 clips of matches in season 2018 to 2019

IPO activity supporting the IP Crime Group collaboration has led to a number of success stories:

  • the IPO’s global network of attachés has dealt with IP cases worth over £115 million in potential lost revenue. Between November 2012 and March 2019 IPO attachés gave one-to-one direct support to nearly 2,000 UK businesses on individual IP issues. They have hosted over 1,000 business outreach and education events. At these, they reached over 31,000 UK exporters operating in overseas markets

  • more than 33,000 businesses have benefited from interaction and support from the IPO

The IPO’s next report will evaluate consumer attitudes to counterfeit goods. It will be published in November 2019.

Notes to editors

The Annual IP crime and enforcement report: 2018 to 2019 is a collaboration between the IPO, enforcement agencies and industry representatives. Together they make up the Intellectual Property Crime Group (IP Crime Group).