In 2010, the Tax Agency seized 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. They also intercepted 7,951,494 packets of counterfeit tobacco worth approximately 28,166,815 euros.

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

Product counterfeiting affects almost all sectors of trade and seriously harms the economy and employment, threatens consumer safety and can pose a serious risk to health. According to estimates by ANDEMA, spending on counterfeit products in Spain in 2010 amounted to more than 500 million euros. This illegal trade is a major source of the underground economy.

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

The Tax Agency, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office and the Spanish Association for the Defense of Brands have today recalled the importance of raising public awareness in order to reject the consumption of this type of product, which has no guarantee or quality control, which compete unfairly, destroy jobs and can endanger the health of consumers, as in the case of fake cosmetics or toys.

During the press conference, a wide range of counterfeit products seized at customs were presented: toys, sports shoes, accessories and clothing, perfumes and cosmetics, watches, electronic equipment, etc. A demonstration of the destruction of counterfeit items using specialised machinery was then carried out.

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