In line with the European Union's recent focus on effective IPR enforcement, the European Commission has recently published a working document titled: "Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List".
The Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List (hereinafter the Watch List) specifies names and locations on various marketplaces outside of the European Union that are known to be selling counterfeit products or otherwise infringing intellectual property rights. The Watch List is divided into the following sections:
• Websites providing copyright-protected content,
• E-commerce platforms,
• Online pharmacies,
• Physical marketplaces.
The Watch List is a result of stakeholder consultations. The purpose of the document is partly to encourage operators and owners of infringing marketplaces as well as the responsible enforcement authorities and governments to take the necessary actions to combat counterfeit products. The Watch List further aims to raise consumer awareness concerning the problems that relate to purchase of IPR infringing goods.
Interested parties can find the Watch List here.
