The Customs Administration steps up the fight against counterfeit goods, for 20,000 seized products this year it has been established to be counterfeits

For over six thousand pieces of perfumes, five thousand pairs of shoes, five thousand pieces of clothing, and other products that the Customs Administration seized this year has been found to be a forgery. According to the Customs Administration today, it is a total of 20,000 signature products for a total of 57 protected trademarks.

Customs officers at the border crossings and mobile customs teams this year for less than five months have found 51 cases of intellectual property law, out of which 19 cases have already been found to be counterfeits that were to be sold on the Macedonian market.

– Efforts in the fight against trading in counterfeit goods are also recognized by brand agents, as well as the Balkan React – Global Organization for Counterfeiting. On this occasion of the customs officers, the Department of Control and Investigation and the Department of Excise dates, the global organization was given gratitude for an outstanding contribution to the fight against trade in counterfeit goods – the Customs Administration said.

Director Boban Nikolovski and his team held a meeting with Katerina Hadzistojanova, React Balkan Manager, as well as with brand agents in order to promote and speed up the procedures for determining the originality of the products. The meeting also discussed the need for the destruction of the goods confirmed to be counterfeit as soon as possible.

Company and React Balkan representatives, the statement added, stated that exceptional progress of the Customs Administration was noted in the fight against counterfeit goods, which is also evidenced by official statistics of the Office.

– One of the main priorities of the Customs Administration is the promotion of institutional capacities for efficient and effective fight against counterfeits by introducing strengthened customs control measures to detect and prevent imports, transit and export of goods that violate the rights of intellectual property, as well as through increased cooperation with Macedonia. The facts are just a confirmation of our efforts in the fight against counterfeiting trade. In 2024, a total of 75 cases of seizure of goods were recorded due to a reasonable suspicion of violation of intellectual property law, compared to 2023 when a total of 29 cases were recorded. This year, in less than five months, 51 cases have been recorded at 49,638 pieces of counterfeit goods, unlike last year when 14 cases of 19,707 pieces of counterfeit goods were recorded in this period- Nikolovski said.