• More than half (52%) of EU citizens aged 15 to 24 said they had knowingly or accidentally bought at least one counterfeit product online in the last year. In addition, a third (33%) said they had accessed digital content from illegal sources.
  • Of those who did so knowingly, 37% purchased a counterfeit product and 21% accessed content from illegal sources (using, playing, downloading or streaming).
  • In Germany, 39% of young people knowingly bought counterfeit goods and 12% knowingly accessed pirated content. This is the lowest percentage of product piracy in the EU.
  • On the other hand, 60% of young people in Europe said they prefer to access digital content from legal sources, up from 50% in 2019. In Germany, this proportion is higher, accounting for 69% of young people.
  • Price and availability remain the most important factors in purchasing counterfeits and consuming pirated content, but peer and social influence are also becoming increasingly important.
  • Cyber ​​threats, cyber fraud and environmental impacts are among the key deterrents.

The 2022 edition of the Youth Intellectual Property Barometer, published today by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), provides an up-to-date overview of young people's behavior towards intellectual property rights violations in the wake of the pandemic.

It examines both sides of intellectual property rights violations: the trends in the purchase of counterfeit goods and the use of pirated content by young people and the assessment of these trends since 2016.

More than half (52%) of young people surveyed had knowingly or accidentally purchased at least one counterfeit product online , and a third (33%) had accessed illegal online content .

Infographics for the 2022 edition of the EUIPO Intellectual Property Youth Barometer Image rights: EUIPO - Office of the European University Photographer: EUIPO - Office of the European University
Infographics for the 2022 edition of the EUIPO Intellectual Property Youth Barometer
Image rights: EUIPO - Office of the European University
Photographer: EUIPO - Office of the European University

Purchasing counterfeit goods

The new survey, reflecting the post-pandemic context, confirmed that 37% of young people had knowingly purchased one or more counterfeit products. This represents a significant increase over previous results (14% in 2019). The figures differ noticeably from country to country, with the highest proportion in Greece (62%) and the lowest in the Czech Republic (24%).

The counterfeit products that young people most often knowingly purchase are clothing and accessories (17%), followed by shoes (14%), electronic devices (13%) and toiletries, cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances (12%). .

However, young people are also misled into buying counterfeit goods: the unintentional purchase of counterfeits is also 37% ([1]) . In this context, respondents admitted that it is difficult to distinguish genuine from counterfeit goods. 48% had not purchased such products or were unsure whether they had.

Online piracy

When it comes to digital content, access to legal sources is becoming increasingly important among younger generations. 60% said they had not ; In 2019 it was 51% and in 2016 it was 40%, confirming the trend.

However, intentional use of pirated content remains stable: 21% of young consumers (one in five) admit to knowingly accessing pirated content . A significant proportion of young people have been misled into accessing pirated content. 12% accidentally accessed pirated content and 7% don't know if they did so. The pirated content is mainly films (61%) and series (52%), followed by music (36%). Special websites, apps and social media were primarily used.

Christian Archambeau , Executive Director of EUIPO, said:

This third edition of the Youth Barometer on Intellectual Property, published during the European Year of Youth , confirms the trends highlighted in previous editions and offers broader insights into young people's perceptions and attitudes. At a time when e-commerce and digital consumption have increased significantly, the increase in the intentional and unintentional purchase of counterfeit goods is a worrying trend. Online piracy is not going down either, even as young consumers increasingly prefer content from legal sources. This new analysis represents a valuable tool to help stakeholders, policymakers, educators and civil society organizations design awareness initiatives to support informed decisions by our young citizens and consumers.

Key factors for purchasing counterfeit products and accessing pirated content

While price and availability remain the main reasons for intentionally purchasing counterfeit products and intentionally accessing pirated content, social influences such as the behavior of family members, friends or acquaintances are becoming increasingly important.

Another factor is indifference as to whether a product is counterfeit (or whether content contains material from an illegal source), with no perceptual distinction being made between original and counterfeit products. Another reason is the ease of finding and ordering counterfeit products on the Internet. One in ten respondents referred to recommendations from influencers or famous people.

What makes young people shy away?

When it comes to both products and digital content, young people cited their own cyber fraud and cyber threat risk as important factors driving them toward moderation. A better understanding of the negative effects on the environment or society  more frequently by the young people surveyed.

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([1]) The 2022 numbers do not add up to 100% because respondents in each product category may have purchased an imitation product, either intentionally or unintentionally, at some point in the last 12 months.

Source: EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )