April 28, 2021
The European Union (EU) published its biennial report on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in third countries.
According to the report, China remains the Priority 1 country for the EU, because of the scale and persistence of problems in the area of IPR protection and enforcement.
India, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine remain Priority 2 countries. Indonesia was removed from the group of Priority 2 countries and included in the group of Priority 3 countries, mainly due to the recent reform of its patent law. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Thailand remain Priority 3 countries.
China remains at the origin of a dominant share of counterfeit and pirated goods arriving in the EU, in terms of both value and volume. More than 80% of the seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods by EU customs authorities originate from China and Hong Kong (China).
The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that criminals quickly adapt to the new trade environment and find ways to infiltrate legitimate supply chains with counterfeit and often dangerous products. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, counterfeit and falsified products such as unproven treatments, test kits and medical equipment and supplies, e.g. masks, ventilators, or gloves, have flooded the European market.
Link: European Commission report on the protection and enforcement of IPR in third countries.