South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 05/02/2014

Figures collated by the South West Trading Standards Partnership of local authorities show that the number of reports and complaints from the public about counterfeit goods increased by 14 per cent in 2013.

Clothing, footwear, toiletries, DVDs and computer games were the most complained about.

Mark Pullin, Chairman of the South West Trading Standards Partnership and Strong, Safer Communities Manager at South Gloucestershire Council, said that the figures indicated a welcome change in attitudes towards counterfeit goods.

“If shoppers refused to buy illegal copies in the first place we would have fewer empty shops on our High Streets and fewer people would lose their jobs.

“Hopefully this increase in reporting is a sign that people across the South West are starting to make that decision.”

The results follow the first national enforcement operation against people selling counterfeits via Facebook.

In December more than 600 traders offering fake goods had listings removed from the social network, in what is hoped to be the first of many such exercises aimed at disrupting and dismantling counterfeiting activity.

The action was co-ordinated by brand owners’ alliance the Anti‐Counterfeiting Group, working in partnership with Trading Standards teams across the UK in targeted enforcement actions against traders attempting to sell counterfeit goods such as branded cosmetics, electrical goods and footwear.