UKIPO publishes latest consumer study on counterfeit goods

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has published the latest round of its research into consumer attitudes and behaviors toward the purchasing of counterfeit goods. This is a large-scale consumer study into the purchasing of counterfeit goods among people in the UK.

Today’s publication is the fourth wave of a survey of 5,000 UK adults (aged 18+). Those who completed the survey discussed their buying history and habits, including counterfeit goods. The survey covered six broad product categories:

• Beauty and hygiene
• Clothing, footwear, and accessories
• Sports
• Toys
• Electricals
• Alcohol.

The research found that the overall levels of consumption of physical counterfeit goods remained steady with previous waves of research. Most respondents (76% in Wave 4) indicated they had never knowingly purchased counterfeits. Despite slight fluctuations between waves, the top three reasons for not purchasing counterfeits were consistent. This includes not liking the quality of counterfeit products, concerns about supporting criminal activity, and the use of low-cost labor or poor working conditions.

Around a quarter (24%) of the sample said they had knowingly made a counterfeit purchase. This is a drop of five percentage points (pp) compared to the previous wave. A smaller proportion (15%) did so often, sometimes, or occasionally (a decrease of four pp compared to the previous wave).

Like previous waves, a strong correlation between age and counterfeit purchasing exists. Younger respondents are more likely to purchase counterfeits. Among those currently purchasing counterfeits, 27% were aged 25-34, 21% were aged 35-44, and 20% were aged 18-24. This contrasted with 14% of respondents aged 45–55 and only 7% of those aged 55 and above. In all age groups, 5-14% of respondents indicated that they used to buy counterfeits but no longer do.

Wave 4 of the counterfeit goods tracker showed that, in all categories, purchases stayed the same or fell. The most substantial decline compared to the previous wave was observed in “Toys” (falling by five pp to 9%), which returned to the level seen in Wave 2. “Clothing, footwear, and accessories” (12%) and “Sports” (12%) had the highest proportions of counterfeit purchasing.

The UKIPO’s Deputy Director of Intelligence and Law Enforcement, Kate Caffery, said: “The IPO’s ongoing research represents a vital contribution to our understanding of IP crime and consumer behavior. Building a robust evidence base directly informs our enforcement strategies and helps us target our resources where they can have the greatest impact. Understanding why people purchase counterfeit goods allows us to design more effective interventions that address the real drivers of behavior. This enables us to move beyond assumptions about consumer motivations and fine-tune our strategies through genuine evidence.

“Tackling IP crime requires a united front. The success of our enforcement actions depends on strong partnerships between government, industry, and law enforcement. By sharing intelligence and coordinating our response, we can disrupt criminal networks more effectively. This collaborative approach, underpinned by high-quality research and analysis, is how we’ll continue to strengthen our fight against IP crime. Together with our partners, we’ll continue to deliver intelligence-driven enforcement that protects legitimate businesses, safeguards consumers, and ensures innovation and creativity can flourish.”

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