EU is confiscating more phony goods

BEIJING, July 13 (UPI) -- Many of the 178 million pirated items seized at the borders of European Union countries in 2008 came from China, EU authorities said.

The European Commission published statistics July 9 showing the number of seizures more than doubled from 2007. Customs officials are more likely to recognize and detain counterfeit products, and industry is helping the cause, the EU Observer reported.

European producers filed 13,000 applications for customs interventions which resulted in 80 percent of all investigations.

The total of items seized in 2008,178 million, was up from 79 million in 2007. In addition, there was a 13 percent increase in products registered as breaking intellectual property rights.

The most pirated items were CDs and DVDs, followed by cigarettes and clothing. Toys registered the largest increase, followed by electrical equipment, medicines and personal care products.