14% of younger Cypriots aged 15-24 have knowingly bought counterfeit sports activities tools on-line, in keeping with information from the EU Mental Property Workplace (EUIPO), for illegally watching sports activities occasions and buying sports activities tools merchandise that are falsified or counterfeit.
This share places Cyprus in second place in the complete EU, behind Greece.
Accordingly, in keeping with the EUIPO, which is without doubt one of the largest decentralized companies of the European Union based mostly in Alicante, Spain, 14% of Cypriot residents have accessed or watched dwell streaming content material from unlawful on-line sources for sporting occasions, with the corresponding share of younger folks aged 15-24 being 20%.
Throughout the EU, counterfeit sports activities tools prices producers €850m per 12 months, equal to 11% of misplaced gross sales.
The EUIPO says in a press release that police authorities throughout Europe have recognized and seized 8 million counterfeit luxurious and sports activities items with an estimated retail worth of €120 million.
In keeping with EUIPO's Mental Property and Youth Scoreboard, a mean of 10% of EU youth aged 15-24 admit to intentionally shopping for counterfeit sports activities tools, with this phenomenon being extra widespread amongst Greek youth — 18% of whom have carried out so. In distinction, 7% of younger European shoppers have mistakenly bought counterfeit merchandise.
In keeping with EUIPO's calculations, France, Austria and the Netherlands face the most important monetary losses, amounting to tons of of tens of millions of euros every. By way of proportional influence, Romania, Lithuania and Hungary are the toughest hit, with counterfeit sports activities tools accounting for as much as 20% of complete gross sales losses in every nation.
Moreover, in keeping with EUIPO's examine on the notion, consciousness and habits of EU residents, 12% of EU residents have accessed or dwell streamed content material from unlawful sources for sports activities information.
In relation to 15-24 12 months olds, over 1 / 4 (27%) admit to utilizing unlawful on-line channels to observe sports activities occasions.
The EUIPO reviews that unlawful dwell streaming impacts all forms of content material — together with sporting occasions — and estimates that piracy throughout all media generates unlawful income of €1 billion yearly.
It additionally reviews that Bulgaria is the nation the place the apply is most prevalent within the EU, with 21% of all respondents admitting to utilizing unlawful on-line sources to observe sporting occasions, adopted by Greece (20%). , Eire (19%), Spain (19%) and Luxembourg (18%).
It provides that younger folks from Bulgaria are almost definitely to take part in unlawful sports activities dwell streaming at 47%, properly above the EU common of 27%, adopted by Spain (42%) and Greece (41%), Slovenia (39%) and Eire (34%).
Stay streaming is the preferred technique of accessing unlawful TV content material — 58% of piracy within the EU takes place by way of dwell streaming, in keeping with EUIPO's examine on on-line mental property rights infringement and 32% by way of web obtain.
The EUIPO says the issue of piracy of dwell occasions is an existential problem for sport funding.
In keeping with the EUIPO, by Operation Faux Star — an initiative focusing on counterfeit items that infringe on well-known emblems — police authorities throughout Europe have recognized and seized 8 million counterfeit luxurious and sports activities items, greater than half of the 14 million counterfeit merchandise seized in 2023.
It provides that the counterfeit sports activities items included counterfeit textiles, footwear, labels, leather-based items and clothes equipment, together with sports activities sneakers and attire, with an estimated retail worth of EUR 120 million.
It says the operation led to the arrest of 264 folks in reference to the counterfeit merchandise.
In keeping with the EUIPO, 552,611 gadgets of footwear, 1,140,343 sportswear and 5,497,460 counterfeit brand labels have been detected in the course of the operation.
It says the seizures verify that lots of the completed counterfeit merchandise are refined in Europe, the place counterfeit logos are utilized to unlabeled merchandise.
He provides that whereas uncovering counterfeiting rings, the enterprise has additionally uncovered different critical crimes akin to organized crime, migrant smuggling, fraud and cash laundering.
It additionally states that Operation “Faux Star” is being performed below the management of Spain (Policía Nacional) and with the co-management of Greece (Hellenic Police), below the coordination of Europol, with the energetic participation of organizations and authorities from 18 nations.
