91998E3665

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3665/98

by José García-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission

(7 December 1998)

Subject: Counterfeiting and piracy

On 22 October 1998 the Commission announced the publication of a Green Paper on combating counterfeiting and piracy in the single market, with which it launched wide-ranging consultations on the matter with interested parties in the Member States.

What kind of initiatives might the Commission consider implementing in accordance with existing legislation, once the said consultations have been completed?

Joint answer

to Written Questions E-3664/98 and E-3665/98 given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 1999)

One of the aims of the Green Paper on combating counterfeiting and piracy in the single market(1) is to assess the economic impact of this phenomenon on the internal market. The assessment will be based on the information provided by interested parties (in particular, undertakings, owners of intellectual property rights and professional organisations) in response to the questions asked in the Green Paper. The Honourable Member will be aware that the Green Paper contains detailed questions on the economic and social effects of counterfeiting and piracy in the internal market both for undertakings (loss of market share, loss of jobs, drop in sales) and for economies (drop in investments, undeclared employment, loss of tax revenue). The answers from the interested parties should give the Commission a clearer picture of the effects of counterfeiting and piracy on the European economy.

With regard to the initiatives the Commission might consider at the end of this period of consultation, it is still too early to give the Honourable Member any details, since the consultation has not yet been completed. However, the Commission does not a priori exclude any form of intervention, nor favour one method of combating counterfeiting and piracy over another. Since the measures considered in the Green Paper are very diverse, any initiatives the Commission might take would not necessarily be of a legislative nature, but might, for example, comprise financial support for action taken against counterfeiting and piracy, or organisational or administrative measures, or even incentives or facilitation measures.

(1) COM(98) 569 final.