The consumer is a victim or an accomplice of counterfeiting? The answer is not obvious, because if in counterfeiting of food and cosmetic products and the consumer is helpless in the situation of unwitting victim of a phenomenon difficult to control, other times - it is the typical case of fake Vuitton bag purchased on stand - is well aware they are buying a fake, because a true jaw out of the reach of his pockets.
But be careful. At the request made by telephone: "Have you ever bought a counterfeit product?", Made as part of a survey on counterfeiting during construction by Assoutenti, the answer was, "click". Almost all have closed the phone. The results del pretest è emerso che nessuno degli intervistati affermava di aver acquistato prodotti contraffatti. Il questionario è stato modificato: "In Italia - ha detto Mario Finzi, presidente Assoutenti - il 15% delle persone ammette e racconta la sua esperienza di contraffazione. Al cittadino serve chiarire cosa è vietato acquistare, cosa si può acquistare, cosa non è sicuro acquistare". A fare il punto sulla situazione, il seminario organizzato oggi a Roma dal Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico insieme a otto Associazioni di Consumatori (Acu, Adiconsum, Adoc, Assoutenti, Codici, Federconsumatori, Movimento Consumatori, Movimento Difesa del Cittadino) sul tema "La contraffazione: il consumatore vittima o complice?".
Those present at the conference have analyzed all the faces of counterfeiting, a growing phenomenon that now covers all items of daily life: clothing, toys, medicines, cosmetics, foodstuffs, household appliances, auto parts, bags and so adding to the list. The seminar was an occasion to launch the campaign "I do not want the false", sponsored by the Department of Enterprise and internationalization - General Directorate for Anti-Counterfeiting - Patent and Trademark Office of the Ministry of Economic Development in collaboration with the eight associations of consumers who took part in the roundtable. Objective, to raise consumer awareness about the illegality of counterfeiting and health hazards that often result from counterfeit items.
Counterfeiting is a complex phenomenon, therefore, represents a "parallel economy", has seen an exponential growth and is linked to the phenomenon of crime, but also sees an increased demand for fake products, in which - the Secretary has argued National Adiconsum Peter Jordan - there is often "a conscious or unconscious complicity of the consumer." A phenomenon that (Carlo Pileri, president ADOC) intersects with the changes in the increasingly outsourced manufacturing model, which creates "phenomena of ambiguity" to products resulting from the assembly of components "international" and is linked to an "imbalance market "between the intrinsic value of the product (the material of the bag is made) and the virtual value attributed to the brand (the brand). Counterfeiting is a problem (Rita Battaglia, vice president Federconsumatori) that produces a collective damage (from false invoicing for recycling), a social harm (work), a non-pecuniary damage - is transmitted in the consciousness of the pollution of the concept of consumer law. "Then there is the phenomenon of counterfeit medicines, where (Ivan Giacomelli National Secretary codes) should be acknowledged that "it is unknown how counterfeit drug therapy affects the global market", and in which the most counterfeited medicines are those related to sexual and the sports, a "traffic in high-value" foods, especially via the Internet.
Attention to the consumer, however, because often in the situation of a victim of counterfeiting. It happens in the food industry, it happens in the cosmetics industry. "In the food sector - said Silvia Biasotto, head of the Food Security Department of MDC - the consumer is almost always a victim. And it is one of the most vulnerable consumers," because "it is difficult to recognize a counterfeit foodstuff, at least in Italy." It is "a business that is worth gold," said Biasotto citing data from the Value Table made in Italy by MDC with Legambiente in 2009, the Inspectorate central control of food quality has made seizures for about 20 million euro, of which 9 million related to DOC, DOCG and IGT. The counterfeit wines: Nero d'Avola, Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT Amarone. Not to mention the kidnapping of Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano, made by the police of Agriculture from the coils and seizures of counterfeit labels for the product.
"The biggest problem - but added Biasotto - is the phenomenon of foreign sounding. It is a huge market by the numbers - Eurispes talks about € 62 billion in 2009 - in which 40% of products are sold in the United States and Canada, and in which matters most and above all "the evocation Italianness." Biasotto argues: "The consumer can hardly be protected, an indication can be represented by the price, but we need technologies and controls. And abroad, our quality is a great marketing tool but no real protection."
And the cosmetics? A search is underway by the Movement Consumatorisu Markets in Rome, Milan, Bari, Palermo and Venice has highlighted the loss of sales of cosmetics brands: the doubt is that they are counterfeit, but the same companies surveyed have not been able responding to the veracity of the products based on packaging alone or batch production, so that they are conducting specific analysis. "In times of crisis - said Miracapillo Ross, general secretary of Consumers' Movement - the cosmetics market downturns do not know. And where there is also a large economic interest in the infringement," which unfolds in this area through 'imitation of the product and packaging and through a parallel import. According to data Unipro said Miracapillo in 2008 to 8.7 billion euro of goods, 120 million were counterfeit products, and of these 85 million perfumes. "But it is a fact determined by the seizures at the border", and then underestimated.
Miracapillo recalled the case striking, exploded in the press a few years ago, the fake Colgate toothpaste, "In the field of cosmetics and medicines that consumers are unwitting victims of these phenomena," said Miracapillo, noting that the analysis made on these types of products have shown the presence of carcinogens and allergens at concentrations two thousand times higher than allowed. Citizens can still try to protect themselves. Even if you recognize a counterfeit product can be difficult, leading some signs in this direction: a price too low, the absence of labels with the origin, ingredients, production site, the presence of indications on the label written in a foreign language .
For the rest, a clear awareness of all: counterfeiting has no borders and has a thousand faces, but often the money in savings translates into health risks.
Sabrina Bergamini
2011 - Editor: BS
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