Sectors
Impacted sectors of industry
No industry branch is spared from counterfeiting and piracy. The variety of counterfeited products covers medicines and replacement parts to CDs, food stuffs and cosmetics.
Entertainment and software
The entertainment industry is heavily impacted by counterfeiting and piracy. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) estimates that pirated computer products cost their industry 386 million francs in damages in 2004. According to the SAFE (the Swiss association for combating piracy), the audiovisual industry suffers up to 90 million francs per year in lost income.
Food stuffs and machine industry
The food industry and the manufacturing industry are also confronted with counterfeiting of their products. Not only international producers of food and machinery, but also small and medium-sized enterprises and producers of products with geographical indications of source (or geographical indications in general) are affected. In the machine industry, counterfeiting is usually limited to primarily individual or replacement parts, but sometimes entire machines are forged.
Luxury items, tabacco, and brand-name jewelry
The luxury goods and tabacco industries are particularly hard-hit by the problem: Design products, such as clothing, accessories, perfumes, cosmetics, or smoking products, are frequent targets of counterfeiting. The watch industry is hit the hardest: The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry estimates losses at 800 million francs per year.
Pharmaceuticals
Medicinal products are also counterfeited. The official distribution channels in Switzerland have not yet experienced cases of counterfeited medicines. However, ordering medicines over the internet carries a great risk of receiving fake product preparations since the distribution channels bypass federal control or approval. A strong increase in counterfeited medicines has been observed in Europe. For instance, according to EU statistics, 51% more medicines have been found by customs compared to the previous year. The counterfeits are not only so-called life-style products (e.g. erection aids such as Viagra and diet aids) but also hormone preparations, antibiotics and other prescription medicines. The gravest problems arise in developing countries. Live-saving medicines such as antibiotics, malaria, and other medicines specifically used in those countries are counterfeited. According to estimates by the WHO, while approximately 1% of medicines in developed countries might be fake, over 10% of them can be fake in developing countries. Medicines which are illegally purchased over the internet are up to 50% fakes (Factsheet WHO 2010). The manufacturing and selling of fake medicines is an international problem and presents a great health risk to everyone.
Photographs and images
Many photographers and artists are deprived of the fruits of their labour. Unauthorised scanning, copying, putting on the internet or downloading of images is an infringement of copyright law which protects the creative work of authors. Interesting and, for the lay person understandable, information can be found, for example, at SWISS-COPYRIGHT.CH or through the Swiss Association of Photo Agencies and Archives SAB/ASBI.
