Counterfeit Consumer Goods

Counterfeit consumer goods, commonly called Knock Offs, are counterfeit or imitation products offered for sale as if they were authentic. The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years and the range of goods subject to infringement has increased significantly. According to the study of Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) counterfeit Goods make up 5 to 7% of World Trade, however, these figures cannot be substantiated. According to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition if the knockoff economy were a business, it would be the world s biggest. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicates that up to 200 billion U.S. Dollars of international trade could have been in counterfeit and pirated goods in 2005. November 2009 the OECD has updated these estimates, concluding that the share of counterfeit and pirated goods in world trade is estimated to have increased from 1.85% in 2000 to 1.95% in 2007. That represents an increase to US$250 billion worldwide.... Mehr