European Commission adopts anti-counterfeiting strategy for EU businesses

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EU anti-counterfeiting strategy

Highlights

European Commission introduced a new anti-counterfeiting strategy featuring enhanced cooperation between member state agencies and improved legal remedies for affected EU businesses.
Strategy emphasizes advanced digital tools for monitoring online marketplaces and targets cross-border distribution networks of counterfeit goods for more effective enforcement.
EU aims to boost economic growth and innovation by reinforcing intellectual property protections, benefiting especially small businesses and supporting competitive market conditions.

Enforcement plan for counterfeit goods

As reported by the European Commission, the new strategy brings together a broader set of measures to curb piracy and counterfeiting across the EU. The package includes closer cooperation between EU bodies and member state enforcement agencies, better access to legal remedies for affected companies, and a public awareness effort to encourage consumers to buy legitimate products.

The Commission says stronger collaborative frameworks involving law enforcement and customs authorities are central to disrupting the networks that produce and distribute counterfeit goods. It also highlights the use of advanced digital tools to monitor illegal activity in online marketplaces, where illicit products can spread quickly across borders.

Economic and consumer impact across the EU

The initiative is designed not only to protect company revenues and brands, but also to reduce risks to consumers from unsafe or non-compliant products. By reinforcing intellectual property protections, the EU is seeking to support innovation and create conditions for more sustainable economic growth.

For businesses, especially smaller firms with fewer legal and compliance resources, improved enforcement could help lower losses linked to copied goods and piracy. The strategy also supports the EU's broader effort to strengthen its competitive position in the global economy through more reliable market rules and better protection for legitimate producers.

We previously reported on how the end of the U.S. de minimis exemption for low-value Chinese imports pushed platforms such as Temu and Shein to shift from direct-to-consumer parcels toward U.S.-based warehousing and new customs-clearance arrangements. That piece also noted rising pressure on trade enforcement, including concerns over undervaluation and tighter requirements for importers of record as authorities move to strengthen compliance at the border.

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