In order to encourage operators and local authorities to fight intellectual property infringements, on Friday 7 December, the European Commission published its new watchlist on counterfeiting and piracy outside of the EU.
The list includes websites offering copyright-protected content, e-commerce platforms, online pharmacies and physical markets outside the EU that have been involved in, facilitated, or have benefited from counterfeiting and piracy. A specific chapter is devoted to online pharmacies.
The Commission notes that in addition to infringing the intellectual property rights of European companies and creators, these activities harm businesses and employment, as well as endangering the health and safety of consumers.
This initiative is part of the institution's strategy, announced in 2017, to identify a wide range of measures to more effectively fight on an international level against counterfeiting and piracy of European know-how, thus better guaranteeing the protection of intellectual property rights of European companies (see EUROPE 11915).
The Commission's approach notably includes tracking financial flows in order to focus on those companies behind the counterfeiting, thereby depriving them of these lucrative revenue flows.
The Commission has undertaken to update the list every two years.
To consult the ‘Watch List’: https://bit.ly/2BXZlcR. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)