EUIPO Observatory plenary meeting in Alicante

Tomasz Grucelski, advocate, patent attorney and JWP Partner will participate in the annual plenary meeting of the EUIPO Observatory as only representative of the ECTA (European Communities Trademark Association). The meeting is an opportunity to present and discuss the current work of the Observatory and agree on future activities. Participants will be able to share their opinions and experience in discussion panels.

On the occasion of this event, EUIPO Observatory published an updated report on the enforcement of intellectual property protection in the European Union. The report covers the years 2013-2017 and its estimates speak of 438 million fakes detained at that time in the EU. This is one fake for every EU citizen over the age of 14. The estimated value of counterfeit goods is EUR 12 billion, which is equivalent to Malta’s GDP for 2018. However, we know that detention represents only a few percent of all counterfeits in circulation. A large proportion of them are counterfeit medicines, spare parts and toys for children, which pose a real threat to public health.