It is a not too recent estimate – published by the OECD in 2018 – but among the most rigorous. And the value is mind-boggling. The OECD surveys on counterfeiting and piracy – according to the focus dedicated precisely to the impact on Made in Italy – show that the world trade in counterfeit products that violate Italian registered trademarks has exceeded 30 billion euros (exactly we are 32 billion), equal to 3.6% of the total sales of the Italian manufacturing sector between national and export.
In terms of imports alone, counterfeit and pirated products entering Italy would amount to around 12.4 billion euros. Compared to the value of counterfeit Italian goods traded around the world, 16.7% is made up of clothing, 15.4% of electronic and optical products, 13% of food. Not to mention that the pharmaceutical industry is racing. Almost 100,000 illegal and clandestine drugs have been seized since January 2020 alone.
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But does whoever buys know what they buy?
According to the OECD, 6 out of 10 fakes went to conscious consumers to buy products fake. The remainder, however, to those who believed they were buying originals and often, if the product is well counterfeited, may not realize, even after the purchase, that the product is not original.
The counterfeit and pirated products that violate the IPR of the Italian owners come, mainly from China, Hong Kong and Turkey. Although Italy “boasts” also a “local” production of fakes. But what consequences does all this have for our manufacturing, our production chains and regular jobs?
The economic damage
The cost unjustly paid by Italian consumers in the belief that they were buying an authentic product amounted to almost 8.3 billion euros. A damage for Italian wholesalers and retailers equal to almost 8 billion euros. For companies “victims” of trademark and patent infringement, the damage amounts to 24 billion euros, and this leads to the loss of 88 thousand regular jobs in Italy alone.