Keeping counterfeits out of play

The variety of competitions and popularity of the sport makes counterfeit football merchandise a valuable trade. Underscoring the scale of the problem, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) recently announced that between January - August 2025 it has seized counterfeit football merchandise that, if genuine, would have been worth over £5 million.

The seizures were a coordinated effort between key bodies which tackle the proliferation of counterfeit goods in the UK – the PIPCU, the UK Intellectual Property Office, UK Border Force, Trading Standards and various industry partners.

Highlights from the coordinated seizures in 2025 include:

• 2,300 fake football shirts seized in Leeds and Bradford;

• 329 fake football kits and 184 pairs of fake football socks seized from Shrewsbury, Burton-on-Trent and Leek; and
• 2,793 counterfeit items of football-related merchandise seized by Border Force at East Midlands Airport during the UEFA Women’s Euros.

Industry partners working with government law enforcement agencies also seized fake football shirts, kits and jerseys in the many thousands.  

As a result of the targeted operations, the police made seven arrests.

Counterfeits in the UK market

It is not only football merchandise products that face significant counterfeiting issues in the UK. In June 2025, the UKIPO released its annual survey of Trading Standards Officers’ work on intellectual property crime for the period April 2024 to March 2025. 

This survey identified tobacco products as the most frequently investigated counterfeit products in the UK, followed by clothing, footwear, vape products, perfume, electrical goods, watches and jewellery.

The top locations investigated by Trading Standards Officers continue to be ordinary shops, but there has been a significant growth over recent years in investigations into social media platforms and websites.

Trading Standards Officers also identified strong links between counterfeit goods and other criminal activities, most notably organised crime groups, followed by money laundering, modern slavery, drug trafficking and benefit fraud.

Practical tips for brand owners

For brands, the risks of counterfeit goods are manifold, including loss of sales, reputational damage and increased costs associated with enforcement.  

To put themselves in the best position against counterfeiters, there are several steps brands can take including:

1. Registering intellectual property rights – A key strategy is to tackle the source of the counterfeit goods, which are typically manufactured in jurisdictions outside of the UK.  In order to take action against these producers, brands should consider registering their intellectual property rights – trade marks, designs and where relevant, copyright – in counterfeit manufacturer jurisdictions, as well as in distributor jurisdictions.  Of course, local counsel advice regarding registrability should always be sought before doing so.
2. UK and EUIPO border forces – Another key strategy is to stop counterfeit products from entering the market at the border. In both the UK and the EU, intellectual property rights holders can file "Applications for Action" (known as "AFAs") which authorise customs authorities to detain suspected counterfeit goods. Once detained, the rights holder will be given the opportunity to respond to the customs seizure to request the destruction of the counterfeit goods. Such seizures can also provide the basis for an investigation into the exporter or importer of the infringing goods.  
3. Trading Standards – Trading Standards and law enforcement agencies play a pivotal role tackling counterfeiting in the UK market. Brands should work to assist Trading Standards where possible and provide evidence to help officers distinguish genuine goods from counterfeits; the more information they have on a brand's IP rights and on the nature of infringing goods, the better position they are in to take action. Typically, after conducting a seizure of suspected counterfeit goods, Trading Standards will ask the relevant brand owners to submit a witness statement under section 9 Criminal Justice Act 1967, detailing the brand's IP rights and confirming that the seized goods are indeed counterfeit.
4. Legal action – Brand owners may also choose to pursue civil enforcement against counterfeiters, such as sending a cease-and-desist letter or issuing civil proceedings for intellectual property infringement. Although less commonly pursued, brands are also entitled to bring private criminal prosecutions for intellectual property offences.

For more information on any of the procedures outlined above or if we can help you optimise your anti-counterfeiting strategy, please reach out to us at IP@fieldfisher.com.

You can also connect directly with our team — Emma Varty, James Seadon or Jude Anthony.