Knockoff and forgery which are the biggest problems of textile sector meet was discussed in detail by the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX). According to the report of Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), forgery and copying which are resulted from European economy revealed that the cost of forgery and copying cost heavy for business loss, profit loss and even closing of the firms in some cases.
According to the report, while 7, 9% of sales loss occurs in the sector due to the forgery, this case causes 26, 3 billion euro income loss per year. As well as the unemployment problems that forgery and copying cause, it creates 8, 1 billion euro damage for social help and taxes to EU.
Three Suggestions for Ending Forgery
To overcome these difficulties that textile and ready- made clothing sector face, EURATEX suggested to take concrete actions on three sides against the fight with forgery and copyright violations for EU by being based on the report of OHIM. First, EURATEX which suggests to fight against forgery and knockoff within EU borders, it suggests to take correct steps to provide preventing imported forgery textile and clothing products and bringing the perpetrators to justice as second. And finally, EURATEX who states that the designs of exporters who carry out export European products for the third world countries need to be provided an assurance with respect to have the required protection in the markets of these countries in compliance with World Trade Organization, Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (WTO TRIPS). EURATEX made the following explanation: ‘’ Each member will help not to prevent this protection and obtainment opportunity out of reasonable cases on conditions of protection of textile designs and especially cost, inspection or publication. Members will have the right to carry out this liability through industrial design codes and copyright law’’.
