The purpose of this column is to provide a reference for those who need help with anti-counterfeiting and where to start. I provide support for anti-counterfeiting through our anti-counterfeiting products. In this column, I will share some of the points I have noticed in the course of my support, as well as some general comments. I would be more than happy if this column could be of help to those in charge of anti-counterfeiting measures. I will do my best to be as accurate as I can be in terms of content. I would appreciate it if you would check the opinions of lawyers and other experts before actually taking measures against counterfeit products.
You may be a victim of counterfeit goods.
You may think that the damage caused by counterfeit products is a problem limited to a few companies, but in fact, it may be a problem that is close to you. You may not even be aware that you are being victimized, but you may already be.
The scale of damage caused by counterfeit products is 6.6 trillion yen, and 15,000 companies have been affected by counterfeit products.
According to a survey conducted by Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting (*1), the scale of damage to Japanese companies from counterfeit products is estimated to be approximately 6.6 trillion yen. This amount is approximately 10% of Japan's total exports. Here are some of the items that are frequently counterfeited. The most affected category is “motorcycles and auto parts” at 3.7 trillion yen, accounting for more than half of the total. The other most affected products are electrical and electronic parts (1.1 trillion yen), pharmaceuticals (0.8 trillion yen), food, beverages, and tobacco (0.4 trillion yen), and video, music, and comics (0.2 trillion yen). The scale of the damage caused by counterfeit products is large, and it is spread over a large number of items, so it would not be an exaggeration to say at the beginning of this report that companies may have already suffered damage from counterfeit products.
Next, let us look at the actual situation of damage to counterfeit products based on the number of companies that have suffered damage from counterfeit products. According to a survey conducted by the JPO (*2), 15,493 companies (7.4%) responded that they had actually been victims of counterfeit products. In addition, 67,817 companies (32.5%) do not know or have no idea if they have suffered from counterfeit products. On the other hand, how far have companies progressed in their anti-counterfeiting measures? 18.8% of companies have taken some measures, but 81.2% of companies have no counterfeiting measures
1 Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting, “(Survey on Analysis of Issues Related to Damage Caused by Counterfeit Goods in Japan and Examination of Measures to Solve These Issues) Final Report: Fiscal Year 2009 Intellectual Property Rights Working Group Project to Strengthen Measures against Infringement,” “Estimation of the Scale of Damage Caused by Counterfeit Goods by Damage Pattern” (2022-06-01).
2 Japan Patent Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “FY2020 Survey Report on Counterfeit Damage,” “Percentage of Corporations Affected by Counterfeiting” (2022-06-01) (in Japanese)
Now, let's start taking measures against counterfeit products!
So far, we have reported on the scale of damage caused by counterfeit products and the number of companies actually affected by counterfeit products. The purpose of this column is to provide you with information that will help you consider how you should take measures against counterfeit products. In this column, we will explain how to proceed with anti-counterfeiting measures.