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5 INTERVIEW 21.7.2022 PAUL COCKS EDUCATION and communication are crucial in combating misinformation when it comes to the use of content from illegal sources or the purchase of coun- terfeit goods. Alexandra Poch, Deputy Director, Eu- ropean Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights at EUIPO, told BusinessToday that youths who turned to illegal sources often appeared to be operating accord- ing to a very different moral code: one that is more concerned with protesting against or punishing large providers for their pricing and subscription practices. e 2022 edition of the Intellectual Property and Youth Scoreboard, re- leased yesterday by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) showed that more than half (52 %) of Eu- ropeans surveyed aged between 15 and 24 said they had bought at least one fake product online over the past year, both intentionally or by accident, and a third (33%) said they had accessed digital con- tent from illegal sources. e report analyses the behaviour of young people towards intellectual prop- erty infringement in a post-pandemic context. Maltese youths in the age group stood out in the report, albeit for the wrong reasons. In fact, piracy of digital content - such as films, music, software and video games - by youths aged between 15 and 24, is the highest in Malta among all EU member states. 43% of young people in Malta accessed pirated content in the past year, more than double the EU average. And 41% of Maltese aged between 15 and 24 said they had bought a fake prod- uct intentionally over the same period. Poch said it is important to focus on countering the belief held by some par- ticipants that illegal sources of content or fake products, far from causing harm to society, may in fact provide benefits by democratising access to material for those who could otherwise not afford to make use of it. 60 % of young Europeans said they pre- ferred to access digital content from le- gal sources, compared to 50 % in 2019. In Malta, this percentage amounts to 44 % of young people. Price and availability remain the main factors for buying counterfeits and for digital piracy, but peer and social influ- ence is also increasingly important. e research highlights the extent to which the participants relied on friends or peers - rather than the authorities or influencers - when it came to both iden- tifying and validating the sources. "ey are more likely to trust people they know or with whom they could readily identify, especially when those people are part of a similar group, as in in the case of the gaming community," Poch said. is may point to the potential value of communications centred on personal testimonies by young people for whom an instance of accessing content from an illegal source, or buying fake products, went badly wrong. e survey looks at the two sides of IP infringement: the trends in young peo- ple purchasing counterfeit goods and ac- cessing pirated content, assessing trends since 2016. In Malta, the most commonly pirated content are films (63%), followed by TV series and shows (51%), e-books (35%), computer software (32%), video games (28%), live sports events (25%) and mu- sic (22%). Of those Maltese who admitted inten- tionally buying a fake product in the past 12 months, 15% purchased clothes, fol- lowed by electronic devices (13%), foot- wear (9%) and hygiene products (7%). e purchase of counterfeits was clear- ly much less normalised in participants' minds than the accessing of digital con- tent from illegal sources. ey were notably more wary about engaging in this behaviour partly be- cause they appeared more aware that this is illegal, but also because they are aware of the inferior quality of counter- feits, as their potential safety risks. ey also associated counterfeits with a broader range of macro-level impacts, such as poor employment conditions and the exploitation of workers, as well as environmental impacts. "Social impacts of counterfeiting that may carry particular persuasive po- tential are those relating to organised crime," Poch said. "While participants had rarely given much thought to this issue prior to tak- ing part in the research, they were often shocked and concerned when it was mentioned." She said this was either because they felt they had been complicit in this crime by purchasing counterfeits, or out of em- pathy for those involved, such as front- line vendors. Purchase of fakes Reflecting the post-pandemic context, the survey confirmed that 37 % of young people bought one or several fake prod- ucts intentionally, which is a significant increase compared to the previous re- sults (14 % in 2019). e figure varies notably by country, with the highest percentage being in Greece (62 %) and the lowest in Czechia (24 %). e counterfeit products that young people most commonly buy intention- ally are clothes and accessories (17 %), followed by footwear (14 %) electronic devices (13 %), and hygiene, cosmetics, personal care and perfumes (12 %). But young people are also misled into buying fakes: unintentional purchase of fake products also stands at 37 % (1), and respondents acknowledged difficul- ties to distinguish genuine goods from counterfeits. 48 % had not bought such products or were unsure whether or not they had. Online piracy As regards digital content, access from legal sources is gaining ground among the younger generations. 60 % said that they had not used, played, downloaded or streamed content from illegal sourc- es in the past year compared to 51 % in 2019, and 40 % in 2016, thus confirming the trend. However, intentional piracy remains stable, with 21 % of young consumers (one in five) acknowledging they had knowingly accessed pirated content in the last 12 months. A significant propor- tion of young people were misled into accessing pirated content. 12 % accessed pirated content by accident, and 7 % do not know if they have. e main type of pirated content was films (61 %) and TV series (52 %), followed by music (36 %), using mainly dedicated websites, apps and social media channels. In light of the new results, the Execu- tive Director of the EUIPO, Christian Archambeau, said: "is third edition of the IP and Youth Scoreboard, published during the Euro- pean Year of Youth, confirms the trends identified in previous editions and of- fers richer insights into youngsters' per- ceptions and attitudes. At a time when e-commerce and digital consumption have been significantly growing, the in- crease in the intentional and uninten- tional purchase of fake goods is a wor- rying trend. As for piracy, it does not go down, even if young consumers increas- ingly prefer content from legal sources. is new analysis provides a valuable tool to help stakeholders, policy makers as well as educators and civil society or- ganisations shape awareness-raising ini- tiatives to support the informed choices of our young citizens and consumers." Key drivers behind buying fakes and accessing pirated content While price and availability continue to be the main reasons for buying fake products and accessing pirated content intentionally, social influences, such as the behaviour of family, friends, or peo- ple they know, are gaining significant ground. Other factors include not caring wheth- er the product was a fake (or whether the content source was illegal), perceiving no difference between original and fake products, and the ease of finding or or- dering fake products online. One in 10 respondents mentioned recommenda- tions by influencers or famous people. Education, communication key to combating digital piracy, purchase of fake goods FILMS, TV SERIES AND EBOOKS MOST PIRATED DIGITAL CONTENT BY MALTESE YOUTHS Piracy of digital content - such as films, music, soware and video games - by youths aged between 15 and 24, is the highest in Malta among all EU member states. BusinessToday spoke to Alexandra Poch, Deputy Director of the European Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights at EUIPO, to understand what can be done to stop this trend and to make young people understand the full impact of their decisions Alexandra Poch

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