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EUIPO 2017 is a situation report that establishes that organised criminal groups are involved in IPR crime. It also finds that EU-based criminal gangs involved in distributing counterfeit goods rely predominantly on manufacturers based abroad, but then organise importation, transportation, storage and distribution of the counterfeit goods within the EU. The majority of counterfeit goods come from China: the development of the Silk Road and the corresponding increasing use of rail and maritime transport between China and the EU support also new threats in the IPR crime landscape. 

The report also looks at the falsification of certification schemes such as organic, and the value of falsely labelled geographical indication products e.g. PDOs. Most commonly affected products are wine, spirits, cheese, meat, fruit, vegetables and cereals.

Read more details at: Headlines on Europol report on counterfeiting

Read the report at: EUIPO 2017 on counterfeiting

Parma ham is one of Italy’s most cherished specialities and one of its most famous GI brands. In order to bear the name Parma, the ham must be produced in accordance with a stringent rules laid down in its PDO specification, using locally bred pork leg and sea salt. Italy’s food police unit collected DNA samples from pigs from 30 farms and slaughterhouses in northern Italy earlier this year. Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele producers have been charged with importing pig sperm from Denmark in an attempt to breed leaner pigs, which contravenes the rules allowing only local pure Italian breeds. Fraud investigations are ongoing.