They are the ones who shop the most online and they are also one of the groups that got the most rightto acquire pirated productsespecially if the original is very expensive. That’s why he Technological Institute of Children and Entertainment Products-AIJU, Portuguese Association for the Promotion of Child Safety And European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) decided to launch a training project in vocational training institutes and centres. Raising awareness among adolescents aged 12 to 18 About fraud risks.
The workshops were part of the “SafeOrFake” project, which focused on the products that this age group uses most, such as technology, clothing, sports equipment, electric scooters or cosmetics, and has already created an innovative product. free educational tool for teaching primary school children About the importance of intellectual property.
The person responsible for the project at AIJU, Maria Cruz Arenasremember: “young consumers Those most likely to buy fake products“, so it is particularly important that they know the risks and problems this practice may cause from the initial training stages.
Black Friday and Christmas
Note that Black Friday, which will be celebrated next Friday, marks the beginning of the season with the biggest sales of the year and lasts until Christmas, the technology institute said. When it comes to young people, most of the purchases will be made through. Internet This is currently the channel that drives the most fraud, as a recent survey by the EUIPO or OECD shows. Actually, More than 50% of pirated product seizuresIt concerns electronic commerce imported into the EU.
In addition, according to EUIPO data, at least 50% of young consumers find it acceptable to buy fake productsIf the price of the original is too high.
In this sense, the aim of the “SafeOrFake” project is improve consumer skills throughout different educational stages (Primary School, Secondary School, University) to make informed decisions and reduce the purchase of fake products. And as supporters of this initiative remember, the world of counterfeit products leads to economic losses not only for companies, but also for the public coffers, citizens and the welfare state.
Also many fake products They contain substances harmful to health and do not comply with safety regulations.. Counterfeit goods are often associated with luxury items, but the truth is that they can be found in any object of everyday life: clothing, shoes, batteries, mobile phones, toys, cosmetics, sporting goods and even medicine and car spare parts.
According to the project manager at AIJU, “Motivating and engaging students“As consumers and citizens, we use products that we consider indispensable for children and adolescents, such as technology, cosmetics, clothing or toys, to convey the importance of the right decisions for the progress of the country and Europe.”
“Awareness workshops in education centers work really well and challenge both students and teachers to think, which is the first step in changing attitudes towards the purchase of counterfeit products,” he adds.