General Assembly of the National Anti-Counterfeiting Committee: 2024 results - 2025 outlook

This Wednesday, March 26, from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the National Anti-Counterfeiting Committee (CNAC) held its General Assembly. Christophe Blanchet, Member of Parliament for Calvados and President of the CNAC, took the opportunity to raise awareness of the risks associated with counterfeiting, to take stock of the work carried out in 2024, and to provide an outlook through to the end of the year for combating this economic, health, and security scourge.

« Counterfeiting impacts all sectors of activity: from cosmetics to tobacco, including toys and car parts... behind these products are transnational criminal organizations that pose a risk to the safety and health of consumers. The proliferation of this parallel and illegal market is very worrying and must make us all take responsibility. It is urgent to react to adapt to the networks of offenders by implementing practices similar to those observed in other major trafficking networks such as tobacco, narcotics, and drug trafficking. This is the work that the CNAC is implementing alongside its long-standing partners and which should be intensified in 2025. Says Christophe Blanchet, President of the CNAC.

« Counterfeiting, whether purchased or sold, threatens French expertise and companies' intellectual property, and also causes major ecological damage. The CNAC's work is bearing fruit, but given the figures, we must go further and faster, particularly at the European and international levels. This is the roadmap we are promoting with our partners, whom I would like to thank for their commitment. Says Pascal Faure, Director General of the INPI.

Ever more alarming figures

In terms of counterfeiting, after a record year in 2023, the results in 2024 are on the rise and for the 5th consecutive year: (Customs 2024 Annual Report - DGDDI - March 2025)

•  In 2024, French customs withdrew 21,5 million items (+5%) from the market for an estimated value of 645,2 million euros.

• Among them, 34,3% of reconditioned items, 26,8% of toys and games, 10,2% of perfumes and cosmetic products, but also dangerous food supplements and counterfeit medicines. 

• There has also been an increase in seizures of counterfeit goods in express and postal freight, linked to the development of online commerce: more than 3 million items seized.

•  On the consumer side, a survey conducted by IFOP for UNIFAB and INPI at the end of 2023 indicated that 34% of French consumers and 37% of 15-24 year-olds had already been duped by a counterfeit product.

A sector in working order to stop this scourge

This year, the CNAC has increased its actions alongside its partners to effectively respond to the challenges of the fight against counterfeiting.  

Cyber counterfeiting

• Meeting with ARCOM to work on the implementation of the European Digital Services Regulation (DSA) and in particular the status of trusted flagger; exchange with the European Commission.

International cooperation

• Development of the network of Anti-Counterfeiting committees, including actions in the Maghreb and Mercosur. 

• Signing of the INPI-SAMR agreement in China:
  The SAMR is responsible for numerous market surveillance issues, such as combating unfair competition, enforcing intellectual property rights, ensuring the safety of medical products, and business formalities. This signing took place during a visit by the Director General of the INPI to Beijing, where a meeting with the Vice Minister of the SAMR, Mr. Bai Qingyuan, led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions.

Sensitization 

•  The CNAC, the INPI, and the UNIFAB launched a joint public communications campaign at the end of 2024 to alert consumers to the dangers of counterfeiting and encourage them to adopt the right reflexes to effectively combat counterfeiting. With the tagline, "Counterfeiting is a NO!", this spot, which aimed to create a trigger in the minds of buyers, was viewed more than a million times on connected TV and more than 55 million times on social media.

To see or re-watch the spot and the page dedicated to prevention and education to adopt good reflexes and good practices, click HERE
 

• In 2024, in collaboration with the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME), the INPI carried out several awareness-raising actions targeted at them: the organization of an awareness-raising and information workshop on its stand during the Vivatech trade fair, participation in a CPME podcast and the co-organization of a webinar on the settlement of disputes related to counterfeiting.

•  From November 8th to 11th, the CNAC was hosted at the INPI, Customs, and Unifab booths throughout the Made In France EXPO trade show to engage with exhibitors and visitors on the importance of protecting their creations and the fight against counterfeiting. This presence provided an opportunity to engage with all types of audiences: students, the general public, exhibitors, and institutions.

Review of the France Anti-Counterfeiting system

This initiative, implemented by the INPI, was launched during the CNAC General Assembly in 2022. The aim of this work is to better understand the phenomenon of counterfeiting in France. It brings together key players in the fight against counterfeiting in France, including the CEIPI, the CPME, Unifab, the CCE, the INPI, and Customs.

• Prefiguration of work on the development and evaluation of a centralized model for detecting online counterfeiting assisted by artificial intelligence by CEIPI
  

• Renewal of the INPI-DGDDI agreement 
  On November 5, 2024, the INPI and the DGDDI signed a new cooperation agreement. In addition to awareness-raising activities for businesses and the general public, international and technical cooperation, training, information exchange, and the organization of work carried out within various working groups related to the fight against counterfeiting, the signing of this new five-year agreement also anchors cooperation between the DGDDI and the INPI within the "France Anti-Counterfeiting" system.
  

• Signing on January 24, 2024 of a partnership agreement between the INPI and the CCE 
  With the aim of raising awareness of industrial property among a greater number of companies, this agreement, concluded for a period of three years (2024-2027), is based on the establishment of meetings between networks in France and abroad, joint company visits, interventions by the CCEs within the framework of IP Masterclasses, jointly organized webinars and cooperation within the "France Anti-Counterfeiting" system.