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Trade in counterfeit goods represents a longstanding, and growing, worldwide socio-economic risk that threatens effective public governance, efficient business and the well-being of consumers. At the same time, it is becoming a major source of income for organised criminal groups. It also damages economic growth, by greatly affecting business revenue and undermining their incentive to innovate.
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Illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods Goods that infringe trademarks, copyrights, patents or design rights. is a growing and significant problem. Globalisation opens up new opportunities for criminal networks to expand the scope and scale of their operations in illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. Trade in fakes also undermines good governance, the rule of law and citizens’ trust in government, and can ultimately threaten political stability.
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Small parcels can be transported cross-border via sea, road, rail and/or air. These movements can be carried out by individuals or a range of companies that handle freight. Two of the more important parties involved are national postal authorities and express and courier services, which together account for most of the movement of small shipments.
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This chapter presents quantitative evidence on the use of small shipments in the transmission of counterfeit and pirated goods across global markets. Statistical evidence suggests that small shipments provide an increasingly attractive means to facilitate the trade in counterfeit goods for a large range of product categories. Indeed, the data show that small shipments and parcels tend to dominate in numerous trade routes, reflecting the shrinking costs of postal and courier shipments and the increasing importance of the Internet and e‑commerce in international trade.
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World trade continues to expand, bringing significant benefits to business and consumers alike, providing them with opportunities to purchase a wide variety of goods at competitive prices. In the case of business, the development of global value chains has further enhanced the value of trade. Low-cost ocean freight has been an important factor in trade growth, but air transport has also been significant, providing a means to move goods quickly, albeit at higher cost.
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