The volume of counterfeit goods in Kazakhstan surged tenfold this year.
“Last year, justice authorities seized over 35,000 counterfeit goods from illegal circulation, valued at more than 65 million tenge. This year, the number of seized goods has increased tenfold,” said Azamat Eskaraev.
According to him, in 2023, the revenue authorities of Kazakhstan suspended the release of goods under 768 declarations showing signs of intellectual property rights violations, totaling 37.1 million dollars.
“The growing electronic commerce and courier services remain one of the most common methods for transporting counterfeit goods. According to the World Customs Organization's report for 2023, electronic commerce and the distribution of small cargo batches remain a major issue for customs in EAEU countries,” added the Minister of Justice.
Experts did not specify which marketplaces have been noted for distributing counterfeits. The Ministry of Justice explained that they do not have the authority to inspect trading platforms without a specific complaint from the rights holder — the trademark owner.
Additionally, it is essential to provide the seller's information — either the Individual Identification Number (IIN) or Business Identification Number (BIN), along with the legal address. This information is often difficult to find on marketplaces.
“If we receive a complaint from a representative of the rights holder or the trademark owner but do not have the seller's information, we cannot conduct an investigation due to the lack of data,” noted Sholpan Abdrayeva, chairperson of the Intellectual Property Rights Committee at the Ministry of Justice.
On Kazakhstani marketplaces, it is possible to find at least the names of companies or individual entrepreneurs selling goods, and using open databases or law enforcement agencies, one can obtain the IIN, BIN, and address of the seller. However, in the case of foreign and cross-border trading platforms, such data is usually unavailable.
According to forecasts by international experts, by 2030, the volume of global trade in counterfeit goods may reach 1.8 trillion dollars, which is a 75% increase compared to 2023 figures. This volume will exceed the projected growth of the global economy for the same period by 3.6 times.
A month ago, the European Union initiated checks on the Chinese marketplace Temu. This trading platform has received complaints regarding counterfeit popular brands and the sale of unsafe products. After studying the marketplace's operations, Orda.kz, together with experts, assessed the promotion methods, the platform's impact on Kazakhstani businesses, and the psychology of consumers.