A recent joint study by the European Patent Office (EUIPO) and the European Observatory on infringements of Intellectual Property Rights found 42% of total economic activity and 28% of EU employment is generated by IPR-intensive industries. The study estimated the scale of economic impact of IPR infringements (through counterfeiting) in Europe and beyond. For example in 2015 12.9% of legitimate worldwide smartphones sales were lost due to counterfeits worth €45.3bn.
The European Observatory on infringements of Intellectual Property Rights carried out a further joint study with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (April 2016) estimated the value of international trade of counterfeit goods in 2013 at 338 billion EUR globally or 2.5% of world trade.
These studies were conducted to help policy makers develop effective enforcement policies.
The full findings can be read here: http://bit.ly/2lPmczd
