Half of young consumers consider it acceptable to buy counterfeit products

A third of Europeans consider it acceptable to buy fakes if the price of the real product is too high. In the case of young people, this rate is 50 percent.

46 percent of Hungarian consumers were not sure whether a product was real or not, while 9 percent reported that they bought fakes on purpose.

16 percent of Hungarians admit to accessing content illegally, especially for watching sports broadcasts.
Four out of ten Europeans have paid to access content from legal sources in the past year; In Hungary, this rate is 45%.

Europeans are increasingly aware of the risks and consequences of buying counterfeits and accessing content from illegal sources, according to a new study on citizens’ perceptions of intellectual property published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

80 percent of Europeans believe that criminal organizations are behind counterfeit products and believe that buying counterfeits harms businesses and jobs. In addition, 83 percent of respondents believe it encourages unethical behavior, while two-thirds believe it poses a threat to health and safety and the environment.

Regarding piracy, 82 percent of Europeans agree that obtaining digital content from illegal sources carries the risk of harmful practices (fraud or content unsuitable for minors).