The Industries Most Affected by Counterfeit Products

Considering that some of the largest footwear brands generate tens of billions in sales every year, it doesn’t come as a surprise that counterfeiters would target the footwear industry and try to profit from the global sneaker and luxury shoe craze. According to the latest figures published by the OECD, footwear accounted for 22 percent of the total value of counterfeit goods seized by customs in 2016, making it the most pirated product category, ahead of clothing, leather goods and electrical equipment.

Among the most counterfeited brands are luxury brands such as Michael Kors, Gucci or Louis Vuitton as well as mass-market brands such as Nike, Levi’s and Adidas. All of these brands are aggressively fighting counterfeiters with damages piling up to billions of dollars every year. According to OECD estimates based on customs seizures, the total value of counterfeit and pirated articles traded internationally in 2016 amounted to more than $500 billion, or 3.3 percent of world trade.