Counterfeit Crackdown In Switzerland

Swiss authorities have stepped up their efforts to combat counterfeit and pirated goods, an illicit trade which is estimated to negatively effect the economy of Switzerland by 2 billion Swiss Francs annually.  Strict new legal provisions have come into effect as of July 1, 2008 which prohibit any import of products in violation of trademarks and design protections, including for private usage.  Border checkpoints can now confiscate and destroy counterfeit products on the spot, including individual items owned by individuals for their own use.  Such items include not only watches, but also handbags, fashion accessories, and other non-genuine luxury articles.

To support these new regulations, Swiss anti-counterfeiting organizations from within and outside of the government recently conducted a joint operation to destroy and recycle a large number of seized items, which included over 28,000 watches and 4,000 pirated DVDs.  The groups involved in this operation included the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH), the Swiss Anti-Piracy Association, the organization Stop Piracy, and Swiss Customs.  

Worldwide, the illegal trade of counterfeit and pirated goods is enormous.  A 2007 study conducted by OECD, which did not take into account the Internet market, estimated that the trade in such items totaled $200 billion for that year.