Fake shoe seizures 'grow by 350 per cent'

USA-based footwear producers have called for increased intellectual property (IP) protection for the global footwear industry, after it was claimed that seizures of counterfeit footwear around the world have increased by over 350 per cent in volume in the past three years. Footwear has reportedly gone from being the world’s twelfth most-seized product for IP violations to sixth in the list.

The problem of counterfeit footwear is certainly not reserved for the US market, with stocks of fake goods – some small scale and others quite significant – being located around the world. As an example, officials representing the customs department of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina recently seized counterfeit footwear and clothing with a reported street value of around £7,900 ($11,000). This haul was found to infringe the intellectual property rights of such well-known companies as adidas, Nike, Prada and Tommy Hilfiger. The fake products were discovered and seized by the authorities during inspections at a number of locations in the city of Sarajevo. According to the Bosnian authorities, new equipment that has been donated by the US government through the Export Control and Related Border Security programme proved to be a valuable asset during this action.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the April 2016 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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