Neil Narriman - ASIPI Aruba 2016

Anti-counterfeiting in the
sporting goods industry
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Neil Narriman- PUMA
Vice-President FESI – Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry
14 March 2016
Sporting Goods Industry Introduction
Three sectors
1. Textile and apparel – e.g.
football jerseys
2. Footwear – Sport &
fashion shoes
3. Equipment – such as golf
clubs, tennis rackets and
protective gear
Counterfeiting in the sporting goods industry
• Sporting goods are heavily targeted by counterfeiters (especially sport
shoes and football jerseys)
• 2015 OHIM studies:
• Counterfeiting in clothing, footwear & accessory sector causes
approximately €43.3 billion of lost sales
• An additional €500 million lost in the EU every year due to
sales of fake sports equipment
• Large sport events, like Olympics and football championships are a
key sales opportunity for counterfeiters (+500% import in organizing
country of World Football Championship – similar increases of online
sales globally)
Global challenges
• Growing trade in counterfeits
• Constantly evolving new techniques used by global networks to bring
counterfeits to the market, e,g, through:
• Online sales, sending fakes in small consignments;
• Innovative routes, transshipment, false invoices etc.
• Lack of responsibility of intermediaries
Public-Private cooperation
Public-Private cooperation – Large sport
events- Tiger 3
Coordinated by WCO:
•13 – 22 November 2013
•17 countries from Central America, South America and Caribbean
•21 ports
•Major priorities: Sport Industry and health and safety of the consumers
IN 5 DAYS IN 17 COUNTRIES MORE THAN 26 MILLION OF
INTERCEPTED ARTICLES
Public-Private cooperation – large sport
events - GOL 14
• 750,000 counterfeits intercepted ahead of Football World Cup
• Training session: 19 – 21 march 2014, with Custom operation at a
lager stage
• 7 Customs hubs in Brazil and 6 neighboring countries (Argentina –
Chile – Uruguay – Paraguay – Panama & Peru)
Cooperation between:
• Brazilian authorities, WCO, European Commission, FIFA, Sporting
goods Industry, Neighboring countries
Public-Private cooperation – Online sales –
‘Score the Real Thing’
• Funny informative social media campaign, aiming at changing
consumers' behaviour, especially of younger generations online.
• Co-funded by OHIM
• Following the 2016 sports season (EURO, Olympics)
• Centered on a campaign website and social networks (Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube)
• Focus on animated short stories on the risks of purchasing counterfeit
goods
To go life in April 2016
Public–Private cooperation – online sales –
‘In Our Sites’
• Europol and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
• Around 2 operations per year
• Latest operation took down 999 websites selling counterfeits
Campaigning for effective legislation
Campaigning for effective legislation - EU
• Dramatic drop in Custom Seizures in the EU:
• 2011 - 115 millions
• 2014 - 35 millions
• Caused by increase of small consignment, but mainly because in
many Member States, Customs do not seize goods in transit anymore
since Nokia/Philips ruling (2011)
• New EU Trademark law to be applied from end-March 2016 will again
allow seizure of goods in transit
• EU Regulation on Customs Enforcement of IPR (608/2013)
introduced a simplified procedure for small consignments
Campaigning for effective legislation protecting IP
• The new EU Regulation on Custom Enforcement of IPR (No 608/2013)
includes provisions for simplified procedures to destroy confiscated fakes,
limiting costs of storage & proceedings
• Still need for responsibility (. . .)