Nike and Apple – most counterfeited brands 2013

The World Customs Organization (WCO) published the Illicit Report 2013.It includes six chapters, each dedicated to one thematic area: Drugs, Revenue, Intellectual Property Rights, Environment, Security and the Customs Enforcement Network (CEN).

For IPR, both an increase of the reporting countries and cases was observed (22,543 cases in 2012 and 24,092 cases in 2013). In 2013 one of the striking features was that more than half of the reported interceptions were illicit pharmaceutical products, followed by counterfeit electronic appliances and illicit foodstuffs – all of which threaten consumer health and safety. It is a dramatic change compared to 2012, where the majority of intercepted commodities were accessories, followed by clothing and pharmaceutical products which came in a third position. According to the report, Nike was the most counterfeit brand, followed by Apple Samsung, Rolex and Louis Vuitton. In China more than 9000 cases of counterfeits were reported, more than in every other country. The United States is the most common destination.