Counterfeit goods are products manufactured in violation of the intellectual property rights of

another person or manufacturer.

Under Russian law, counterfeit products include not only goods bearing an unlawfully applied

trade mark or a confusingly similar designation, but also product labels and packaging.

China is recognised as the world’s largest producer of counterfeit goods, followed by India, the

countries of Southeast Asia, Turkey and others.

As regards Russia, according to the TIAR Centre study entitled Counterfeit Hotbeds, published

in 2020, the turnover of counterfeit non-food products in the country exceeds RUB 5 trillion.

These products include clothing and other light-industry goods, consumer electronics and

components, children’s toys and perfumes.

Online Sales of Counterfeit Goods

The more successful and attractive a brand becomes, the more parties seek to exploit it for their

own benefit. As the popularity and sales of a product or trade mark increase, so does the volume

of counterfeit products, infringements, fraud and illegal sales.

A significant proportion of counterfeit sales takes place through e-commerce channels, including

social media, marketplaces and other online retail platforms. Simple and rapid purchasing and

selling processes allow sellers to create multiple profiles, including online stores registered

through third parties, and avoid liability. Buyers, meanwhile, can choose from a vast range of

products based on price and perceived quality.

The volume of such sales may be substantial and may cause serious damage to the owner of the

relevant trade mark or brand. Sales of counterfeit products through VKontakte, Instagram,

Telegram and other platforms continue to grow every year.

Combating Counterfeiting

Companies seeking to protect their products against counterfeiting are looking for new and

effective enforcement measures, including technological solutions capable of processing large

volumes of information.

The fight against counterfeiting must be conducted continuously. The absence of a strategy for

combating the distribution of counterfeit products inevitably leads to declining sales of genuine

products, loss of consumer trust and damage to the rights holder's reputation.

The detection of counterfeit goods and anti-counterfeiting services in Russia have become more

effective through solutions such as the Gorodissky IP Security platform, which was developed to

identify illegal products online.

Under the supervision of analysts, the platform automatically identifies websites offering illegal

or counterfeit products, analyses the findings and assesses the level of risk to the rights holder.

Following preliminary review by an analyst, it automatically generates and submits complaints.

The platform's average effectiveness rate is estimated at more than 85%. Where persistent

infringers refuse to stop the infringement despite receiving several cease-and-desist letters, an

intellectual property lawyer becomes involved.

To achieve the best possible results, it is essential to combat counterfeit goods and the stores

selling them on a continuous basis, combining online and offline enforcement methods.

16 July 2026