The demand for counterfeiting on the criminological research agenda

Counterfeiting, along with piracy, has been described as one of the most financially valuable global criminal markets. National and international attention is increasingly being afforded to dealing with the problem of trade in counterfeit products. In terms of global flows in counterfeit goods, China is recognized as one of the main sources for counterfeit goods that enter the European Union. Other countries of special concern to the European Commission include India for pharmaceutical products and Turkey for cosmetics. This chapter argues that criminology needs to take more ownership in developing an understanding of counterfeiting. This includes issues relating to design, manufacture, production, supply and in examining intricacies of demand. It discusses an agenda for developing research on counterfeiting, arguing that criminologists must examine counterfeiting as a phenomenon within a broader understanding of global supply and demand, recognizing the overlapping nature of licit and illicit economies and problematizing forcing a distinction between these.