Released on = January 15, 2006, 10:33 pm

Press Release Author = Gieschen Consultancy

Industry = International Trade

Press Release Summary = In 2005, brands were tracked to counterfeit and piracy
seizures and loses of more than $1.54 Billion (USD). The increased focus by
organized criminals and individuals to commit intellectual property theft has
catapulted it to 40% of all counterfeit activity. More than 40% of the brands
counterfeited are composed of a list of 25 which include software giants, clothing
designers, pharmaceutical companies, printer manufacturers, and luxury goods
retailers. 27% of the top 11 brands affected by counterfeiting are included in the
Forbes Top 100 World\'s Leading Companies indicating the global nature of this
problem.

Press Release Body = Monday January 16, 2006 -- Calgary, Canada -- Based on
worldwide counterfeit enforcement activity (investigations, raids, seizures,
arrests, charges, convictions, sentences, civil litigation) for 2005, as reported
through the DOPIP Security Counterfeit Intelligence Report, more than 3,703
incidents valued at $3,256,603,906,265 (US Dollars) were analyzed from 133
countries.

View the full report at http://www.goldsec.com/PR/06-01-16-2.htm

The top 25 (of 632) brands counterfeited representing 43.95% of IP theft incidents:

1. Microsoft, 4.92% of IP Theft incidents.
2. Louis Vuitton, 4.86%.
3. Nike, 4.43%.
4. Gucci, 2.95%.
5. Adidas, 2.89%. (... more details in full report)

The top brands counterfeited in each classification:

Marlboro - Cigarette & Tobacco Products
Louis Vuitton - Clothing & Accessories
Canon - Computer Equipment & Supplies
Viagra - Drugs & Medical
Nokia - Electronic Equipment & Supplies
Microsoft - Entertainment & Software
Pepsi - Food & Alcohol
Underwriters Laboratories - Industrial Goods & Supplies
Rolex - Jewelry & Watches
Bodum - Other Goods
Johnson & Johnson - Perfume & Cosmetics
Titleist - Toys & Sports Equipment

The top 20 (of 79) countries reporting intellectual property violations:

1. USA, 402 incidents, $289 Million seizures and losses.
2. UK, 240 incidents, $516 Million.
3. India, 185 incidents, $6.9 Million.
4. Malaysia, 71 incidents, $13 Million.
5. Philippines, 54 incidents, $18 Million. (... more details in full report)

The top 20 (of 133) countries reporting all forms of counterfeiting and pirate
activity (documents, identification and intellectual property):

1. USA, 1,534 incidents, $1.29 Billion seizures and losses.
2. India, 462 incidents, $20 Million.
3. UK, 335 incidents, $534 Million.
4. Malaysia, 130 incidents, $13 Million.
5. Canada, 108 incidents, $89 Million. (... more details in full report)

The top 10 countries in detail:

(view the full report)

The most popular items to counterfeit:

1. Financial Instruments, 1,435 incidents worth $3.254 Trillion.
2. Entertainment & Software, 706 incidents worth $695 Million.
3. Identification, 521 incidents worth $124 Million.
4. Clothing & Accessories, 306 incidents worth $283 Million.
5. Other Documents & Packaging, 262 incidents worth $12 Million.
(... more details in full report)

The top 25 (of 778) items counterfeited representing 74.22% of incidents:

1. Currency, 18.7% of items counterfeited.
2. Films, 11.1%.
3. Music, 7.07%.
4. Checks, 6.37%.
5. Medicines, 4.21%. (... more details in full report)

The top items to counterfeit in each classification:

(view the full report)

The type of counterfeiters investigated by enforcement officials:

Retailers, 24.5% of incidents.
Street Vendors, 21.1%.
Home Businesses, 18.1%.
Manufacturers, 16.0%.
Internet (chat, P2P, auction, retail), 11.3%.
Wholesalers, 3.5%.
Transportation & Warehousing, 3.4%.
Other, 1.9%.

The top 4 countries traced to counterfeit distribution and manufacturing sources:

1. China, named in 65.2% of the investigations, 167 incidents, $178 Million in
seizures and losses. (... more details in full report)

The geographic regions traced to counterfeit distribution and manufacturing sources:

1. Asia, named in 80.1% of the investigations, 205 incidents, $198 Million in
seizures and losses.
2. Europe, 7.8%, 20 incidents, $224 Million.
3. North America, 3.9%, 10 incidents, $1.2 Million. (... more details in full
report)

The most frequently found counterfeiting equipment during enforcement raids:

(view the full report)

The top 10 other crimes linked to counterfeiters:

1. Fraud, 29.4% of incidents.
2. Theft, 16.4% of incidents.
3. Drug possession & trafficking, 14.5% of incidents. (... more details in full
report)

The top other crimes linked to counterfeiters by classification:

(view the full report)

The top 10 countries where political statements are made regarding counterfeiting,
piracy and intellectual property theft:

1. USA, 135 political statements.
2. China, 66 political statements.
3. India, 42 political statements. (... more details in full report)

View the full report at http://www.goldsec.com/PR/06-01-16-2.htm

For more information: http://www.goldsec.com/Security_Research.htm

About Gieschen Consultancy

Gieschen Consultancy, provides counterfeit intelligence analysis for brand
protection, brand enforcement and security research. Providing intelligence and
knowledge behind the criminal, civil, and ethical problems surrounding
counterfeiting and piracy issues, clients are more effective in developing
strategies to counter this growing threat.

For more information visit http://www.gieschen.com/.

About DOPIP SCI Reports

DOPIP is a powerful source of intelligence delivered to the reader daily via email.
It provides 24x7x365 monitoring, analysis and intelligence of counterfeit
enforcement incidents from around the world in the areas of document, product and
intellectual product security. Who would benefit from this knowledge? Enforcement,
product and brand protection personnel, security technology providers, anti
counterfeit and anti piracy organizations, and brand owners will find this
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The intelligence that DOPIP reports provide will keep you updated on criminal Modus
Operandi (methods of operation), legal and political activity, industry reports,
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For more information visit http://www.goldsec.com/Security_Updates.htm.


Web Site = http://www.gieschen.com/

Contact Details = Glen Gieschen
Managing Director
Gieschen Consultancy
Glen@Gieschen.com
Phone 403-256-5680
Calgary, Alberta Canada