European Union Delegation in Serbia and Market inspection sector of the Ministry for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications are participating in the fight against counterfeit and pirated products because of their negative impact on the national economy, the health and safety of consumers, and their links to organized crime, through the campaign “Fakes cost more, I buy real!”
The campaign was launched on March 20th 2015 with the aim of raising citizens’ awareness about the importance of the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as consumer rights in Serbia. The campaign is part of the project “Enforcing intellectual property rights”, financed by the European Union with 2.8 million euros of accession funds.
Within the scope of the campaign “Fakes cost more, I buy real!” representatives of state institutions of Serbia inform citizens about the importance of the protection of intellectual property rights and draw attention to the harmful consequences of buying and using counterfeit products.
So far, two successful informative and educational discussions between market inspectors and citizens have taken place. At promo stands in Ušće shopping mall and Delta City shopping mall, citizens had the opportunity to see what counterfeit food products, toys, shows, bags, textile products, motor oils, extension cables and other fakes looked like. In addition to market inspectors and other representatives of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, representatives of Customs Administration were also on hand to speak about the most commonly encountered fake products. The importance of this problem is reflected in the large number of interested and attending citizens at these information stands, as well as the increased media attention for this topic.
The next educational event will be organized on Thursday, April 9th, in the Merkator shopping mall. The following educational events will be held in Kragujevac, at the Plaza shopping mall of April 17th and in Novi Sad, in the Merkator shopping mall on April 24th. All interested citizens will have the opportunity to learn how to recognize counterfeit products and to gain information about fake products’ potential negative consequences on their health and safety.
Throughout the campaign, information leaflets and anonymous surveys, that will allow them to freely express their thoughts and attitudes towards the subject, are distributed to attendees. The results of the survey will be published following the end of the campaign.
According to data from studies conducted with consumers around the world, the majority of people are not aware of the serious risks and the harm that counterfeit and pirated goods can cause to themselves and their loved ones. Counterfeit products can cost you your health and safety. FAKES COST MORE!
