During 2010, the Tax Agency intervened a total of 10,451,343 counterfeit products, which, if they had reached the market, would have reached a minimum value of 127,195,151 euros. It also intercepted 7,951,494 packs of counterfeit tobacco with an approximate value of 28,166,815 euros.

These data were announced this morning at a press conference held in the Port of Valencia on the occasion of the presentation of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, in which the director of the Customs Department of the Tax Agency, Antonio de la Ossa, participated. ; the director of the Spanish Brand Defense Association (ANDEMA), José Antonio Moreno; the director of Legal Coordination and International Relations of the Patent and Trademark Office, Javier Moreno; and the general director of the National Perfumery and Cosmetics Association (STANPA), María del Val Díez. World Anti-Counterfeiting Day has also been celebrated in six other European cities.

The counterfeiting of products affects almost all sectors of commerce and represents serious damage to the economy and employment, threatens the safety of consumers and can put health at serious risk. According to ANDEMA estimates, during 2010 spending on counterfeit products in Spain rose to more than 500 million euros. This illegitimate trade is an important focus of the underground economy.

For this reason, and with the aim of combating the underground economy and unfair or illegitimate commercial practices, in recent years the Tax Agency has implemented tax control programs to monitor commercial imports, especially those from Asia, since It has been detected that the majority of counterfeit products come from Asian countries.  .

Both the Tax Agency and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office and the Spanish Trademark Defense Association have recalled today the importance of raising citizen awareness to reject the consumption of this type of products, which do not have any kind of guarantee nor pass any quality control, which compete unfairly, destroy jobs and can endanger the health of consumers, as in the case of fake cosmetic products or toys.

During the press conference, a large sample of counterfeit products seized at customs was exposed: toys, sports shoes, accessories and clothing, perfumes and cosmetics, watches, electronic equipment, etc. Subsequently, a demonstration of destruction of counterfeit items by specialized machinery was carried out.

After the press conference, those present had the opportunity to listen to two conferences: “The value of the brand for the economy, society and the citizen”, by José Antonio Moreno, General Director of ANDEMA, and “The commitment of the Public Administration with the private sector in the fight against counterfeits. The role of the OEPM”, by Ms. Silvia Gema Navares, Head of the Area of International Cooperation and Relations with the Courts of the OEPM. During both presentations, reference was made to the awareness campaign “Be original, don't buy fakes”.