Guide – everything you need to know about counterfeit and pirated good

As many as 48% of Poles admit to buying counterfeits. They cite the internet as the main source, ignorance and a favourable price as the reason. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) together with the European Union in 2019 prepared a report on counterfeit goods entering the Community market. The value of counterfeit and pirated goods in the report was determined to be USD 509 billion – more than twice the GDP of the Czech Republic in 2020! The largest number of ‘fakes’ entering European markets comes from China – as much as 30%. Other countries where they are produced include Thailand, Singapore and Turkey.

In 2021, the National Fiscal Administration detected 2.5 million pieces of goods infringing intellectual property in Poland, worth PLN 203 million. As in other EU Member States, illegal goods most often enter the Polish market from China.

What legal complexities are involved with counterfeit goods – read the BBS guide!