Preface

Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods poses a serious and growing risk to economic growth, undermining good governance, the rule of law and citizens’ trust in government. Illicit trade networks tend to misuse many modern solutions, including e-commerce, a modern tool offering numerous advantages for consumers and businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated illicit trade and the degree of abuse of the online environment.

Policy makers need solid empirical evidence to take action against this threat. To meet this need, the OECD and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have joined forces to carry out a series of analytical studies. The results have been published in a set of reports that gauge illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods.

We are pleased to see this new evidence that sheds additional light on the abuse of e-commerce facilities in trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. We are confident that the results will assist policy makers in shaping effective solutions to combat and deter this risk, and to promote clean trade in the post-COVID recovery.

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Christian Archambeau, Executive Director, EUIPO

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Elsa Pilichowski Director, OECD, Public Governance Directorate

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