The city of Nice is the starting point for the twelfth awareness campaign of the Union of Manufacturers (UNIFAB) in the fight against counterfeiting. Customs, the INPI, and the city of Nice are united against this scourge that can have dramatic consequences.
Counterfeiting has been inundating the daily lives of millions of French people for several years. Worse, it has dramatic consequences when it comes to medicines or beauty products. The major campaign launched this Friday in Nice is clear: to roam the beaches and markets of the southeast, southwest, and west of France to raise awareness among people about counterfeiting. The aim is to prevent and advise consumers to avoid the traps of counterfeiting, which has taken up considerable space on the internet. “Counterfeiting is only increasing; it is a constant scourge. The consequences are heavy on the local, national, and even international economy,” reacted the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi. Specialists estimate the financial losses due to counterfeiting at between 200 and 300 billion euros, around 6 billion for France.
During the summer, specialized services will be extra vigilant. Checks carried out by customs will be particularly reinforced near the borders with Italy and Spain. Another strategic location on alert is Nice Côte d’Azur airport, from which millions of travelers and postal packages arrive and depart. “For the past 4 years, we have observed a significant evolution in counterfeiting. It has become industrialized, mass-produced, internationalized, and now digitized,” observes Christian Peugeot, president of the Union of Manufacturers (UNIFAB).
As early as December 2009, Christian Estrosi, then Minister of Industry, presided over the signing of the Charter against counterfeiting on the internet. Many groups responded, including Chanel, Christian Dior Couture, L’Oréal, LVMH, and Nike Europe.
