The share of counterfeit electronics in markets has doubled in a year

The number of counterfeit devices from international manufacturers in Russian markets has increased significantly over the past year. Kommersant writes about this, citing a study by the law agency IQ Technology.

The company analyzed about 15 thousand product cards on the Wildberries, Ozon, Yandex Market, Sbermegamarket, AliExpress and other platforms. According to the study, the share of counterfeit smartphones in total offers increased from 12% to 31%, and in the category of laptops from 22% to 31%. The share of counterfeits (from 15% to 34%), smart watches (from 35% to 63%), headphones and speakers (from 27% to 69%) also increases significantly.

The brands Apple and Samsung are most often counterfeited on trading platforms. Previously, copyright holders were most interested in the fight against counterfeits: they actively monitored the market and fought against counterfeit goods. After the start of the war in Ukraine, brands began to leave the country and began to control products in it less. Counterfeit sellers started operating without fear of receiving claims from rights holders. Experts believe that under such conditions, the share of counterfeit products will continue to grow.

F+ Technology Assessment | Marvel” also indicates an increase in the share of counterfeit audio electronics on the Russian market. In the first five months of 2023, the share of counterfeit headphones and speakers from well-known brands such as Apple, Marshall and JBL increased from 10% to 25%.

Representatives of some marketplaces assured that they are actively fighting counterfeits. Wildberries disagreed with IQ Technology’s assessments and stressed that it monitors all transactions in real time. The president of AKIT Artem Sokolov also presented other statistics: according to his organization, the share of fakes on websites does not exceed 0.1%. The representative of the Association of Trading Companies and Electric Manufacturers, Anton Guskov, pointed out that the provisions on consumer rights limit the possibility of marketplaces interfering with the description of goods from sellers.