The piracy of Microsoft products is more popular than Gucci, according to an intellectual property rights crime-tracking system developed by the International Chamber of Commerce.
According to the report generated, as part of the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) project, the top three counterfeited brands are Louis Vuitton (5.2%), Nike (4.9%), and Microsoft (4.7%), which is ahead of Gucci (3.8 %).
The most popular items to counterfeit include entertainment and software, clothing and accessories, and drugs and medical products, says the report.
"The BASCAP reports are extremely useful to our anti-piracy efforts," says David Benjamin, senior VP for anti-piracy at Universal Music. "They help us to identify problems, track trends, set priorities and provide solid statistics."
The report indicates tracking incidents of counterfeiting and piracy presents a major challenge, as they normally take place without the knowledge of the governments and corporations attempting to stop them.
BASCAP, however, is managing to gather information on incidents, including the brands involved, country locations and seizure values, brought together from publicly available sources.
Information gathered shows counterfeiters are implementing increasingly effective business strategies, with about 25% setting up home operations.
According to Glen Gieschen, BASCAP consultant for counterfeit intelligence, the Internet is now a well-established marketing tool, representing 14% of all counterfeiting activity.
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