EUIPO says that the growth of e-commerce has been well documented, but how the rise of different technologies and consumer habits has affected IPR infringement on the internet and, in particular, on social media platforms, is not clear. Therefore, EUIPO decided to conduct a study to better understand the volume and frequency of IPR infringement on social media.
The study provides a comprehensive picture of the social media uses related to possible IPR infringement activities or promotion. It measures the relative presence of IPR infringement on physical products and digital content on social media compared to genuine products or licit copyright-protected digital content and it identifies key indicators in order to better recognise IPR infringement business models on social media.
The study identified 11% of conversations regarding physical products could be possibly related to counterfeits, and 35% of conversations on digital content could be possibly related to piracy. The social media analysed in the study are Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and Twitter. To read EUIPO's press release and to access the report, click here.
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