In a report on online platforms adopted on 15 June 2017, the European Parliament is calling online platforms to fight more effectively against counterfeits to protect consumers and legitimate businesses. The report underlines the need to review the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED) to achieve this objective.
Counterfeiting threatens the safety of consumers, victims of a veritable boom in sales of fake toys, food products and medicine. Thanks to the take-off of e-Commerce, declining transportation costs, and the improving production capability of developing countries, this phenomenon is spreading fast.
Over the past ten years, global imports of counterfeited products have doubled in value to reach a total value of more than €400 billion. Counterfeiters ignore worker protection rights and avoid taxation.
Alain Galaski, Director General of AIM reacted to the positive vote:
“Last week, for the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, I called publicly President Juncker to display leadership to dust off without delay the “IPRED” Directive. AIM promotes a simple principle: an obligation for every stakeholder in the value chain to act with due diligence by taking appropriate proactive measures to protect consumers and intellectual property rights from counterfeited products. Today, I am delighted to see the strong support of the European Parliament, under the leadership of its rapporteurs Philippe Juvin and Henna Virkkunen, for this urgent request.”
The European Parliament calls for closer cooperation between platforms and rightholders in order to ensure proper clearance of rights and fight the infringement of intellectual property rights online. It recalls that such infringements can constitute a real issue, not only for companies but also for the health and safety of consumers.
Finally, AIM supports the call of the European Parliament for further guidance from the European Commission on the implementation of the intermediary liability framework. As Members of the Parliament highlight, the online platforms that do not play a neutral role as defined in the e-commerce Directive cannot claim liability exemption.
Link to the article “President Juncker, help us say no to fake goods!”
Link to the report of the European Parliament on online platforms
