Economic Significance

Innovativeness and creativity supported by creation and distribution of intellectual property make a crucial driver of development and economic growth in the world today.
Counterfeiting and piracy of protected subject matters of intellectual property rights is a global problem, which can have negative effects on health and safety of citizens, it poses a threat to the development of the economy, it causes losses of workplaces and impairs the established system of intellectual property protection.

As according to certain research, it is estimated for the global value of counterfeit and pirated goods to account for between 455 and 650 billion dollars a year in total, 58% of which is made up by international trade in these goods, 32% by inland production and consumption, and 10% by digital piracy goods. In addition hereto, it is estimated that broader social losses in terms of reduced national income and increased social costs account for over 125 billion dollars a year and that counterfeiting and piracy cause losses of minimum 2.5 million legal workplaces in the world per year.

In 2020, following customs monitoring of goods imported into Croatia, 261,216 pieces of counterfeit goods in total were stopped and destroyed, in the retail sale value of €5,138,858.24 in total, whereas on the inland market, based on the control of infringement in the field of intellectual property, there were goods in the total value of €2,459,023.35 temporarily seized, which indicates a global problem of counterfeiting and piracy being present in Croatia as well, exerting a negative influence on the development of the Croatian economy too. Detailed information are available in the Statistical Report on the Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.

Industries based on copyright in Croatia are estimated to generate approximately 4.3% GDP annually, which purports the proportions of piracy influence on the economy.