6/8/2011
World Anti Counterfeiting Day
Today is the thirteenth World Anti Counterfeiting Day (WACD), and events highlighting the problems with counterfeiting are taking place around the world this week. Under Members News you can find information on what takes place in your country.
Counterfeit and pirated goods cost the global economy up to €700 billion per year according to some estimates, and this translates into loss of legal employment, lack of investment in new jobs and increased prices of legal goods. It also means less public funding for services such as health, education and social welfare. INTERPOL in particular have also noted the continuing increase in the distribution and consumption of products which are highly dangerous to human health and safety and the United Nations inter-regional Crime and Justice Research institute have reported the specific involvement of major international organised criminal gangs in the trade in fakes.
The over-arching theme for this year's World Anti Counterfeiting Day is the massively increasing international distribution of fake goods – especially fake, dangerous to health, pharmaceuticals - by post or small consignment courier, and how they often find their way out on consumer e-auction sites on the Internet.
As part of the World Anti Counterfeiting Day , Reconnaissance International’s Authentication News™ and the GACG Network award individuals, companies and organisations that have made contributions to the campaign against the trade in fakes ‘above and beyond the call of duty’. Global Anti-Counterfeiting Awards, are announced in Paris today as part of the World Anti Counterfeiting Day events organised by the Union des Fabricants.