Counterfeit games and toys cause job losses in the EU

A new report from the European Observatory on infringements of Intellectual Property Rights estimates that legitimate industry loses approximately 1.4 billion euros of revenue annually due to counterfeit games and toys in the EU, corresponding to 12.3% of the sector’s sales. This translates into direct employment losses of approximately 6,150 jobs, relating to goods produced and consumed within the EU.

Adding the knock-on effects on other industries and on government revenue, and including both direct and indirect effects, counterfeiting in this sector causes approximately 2.3 billion euros of lost sales to the EU economy, which in turn leads to employment losses of more than 13,000 and a loss of 370 million euros in government revenue.

The figures refer only to manufacturing and so do not include wholesale and retail trade.

Read the full report: The economic cost of IPR infringement in toys and games (PDF)