Counterfeit goods sold through online marketplaces and websites in the UK last year totalled an estimated £800m, according to a new study.
The sale of counterfeit goods increased by 45 per cent in the last year, the Annual European Anti-Counterfeit report published by PriceMinister, an online market place, revealed.
The internet is also the number one destination for buying and selling fake goods; 80 per cent of counterfeit goods were bought online in 2008.
Fashion goods such as leather goods, watches, perfumes and cosmetics accounted for 59 per cent of fake products.
Also high on the shopping list are technology goods. Apple, Microsoft and Nokia are three of the top five for brands with most fake products available online.
Technology goods such as mobile phones, MP3 players and computer software accounted for 37 per cent of fake goods sold online.
"Counterfeiting is spreading across the internet. More and more goods are affected every year but 2008 shows alarming figures, it's no longer just clothes or luxury goods," said Benoit Tabaka, legal and public affairs director at PriceMinister.
PriceMinister, which officially launches in the UK tomorrow, is Europe's second largest online market place. It operates an anti-counterfeit guarantee and money back to buyers who are not satisfied with their purchase.
"Through our stringent anti-counterfeit approach, 98 per cent of counterfeit products were prevented from being listed on PriceMinister websites in 2008. The other 2 per cent are removed after they were listed," said Pierre Kosciusko Morizet, chief executive at PriceMinister.
www.priceminister.co.uk
Topic: £800m fake goods sold online in UK (Read 757 times)