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This page is directly accessible at:
www.oecd.org/sti/counterfeiting
OECD responds to rising concerns on the impact of counterfeiting and piracy
Responding to concerns in governments and the business community, the OECD launched a project in 2005 to assess the magnitude and impact of counterfeiting and piracy. The objective of the project is to improve factual understanding and awareness of how large the problem is and the effects that infringements of intellectual property rights have on governments, business and consumers in member countries and non-member economies.
The Phase I report has just been completed.
What does the project cover?
The project covers infringements of the intellectual property rights that are described and defined in the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
In addition to assessing economic effects, the current project analyses rising concerns over the health, safety and security threats that counterfeit and pirated products pose to consumers. It also reviews trends and developments and assesses what is being done to combat the illicit practices.
How is the project structured?
The project is being carried out in three separate phases.
- Phase I focuses on tangible counterfeit and pirated products (i.e. physical products that infringe trademarks or copyrights), and to a lesser extent infringements of patents and design rights. This phase has just been completed. A pre-publication draft of the Phase I study report is now available.
- Phase II will focus on piracy of digital content and is currently being scoped and funding sought.
- Phase III will address infringements of other intellectual property rights.
Who is the OECD working with?
The project is being conducted in co-operation with organisations that are active in the counterfeiting/piracy area, including the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, Interpol and relevant NGOs. Liaison with the business community and labour has been co-ordinated through the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD.
Earlier work
This study expands considerably on a related project on the economic impact of counterfeiting that was carried out in 1998.
Contact
For further information, please contact the project staff at counterfeit@oecd.org
Last updated: 26 October 2007
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