Counterfeiting has a long history. For most commodities it is simply the theft of brand owners’ intellectual property, a trademark violation. But fake medicines can also kill. Political wrangling over language, and confusion over how to deal with the public health and private property aspects of counterfeiting, is hampering international action…

Serious and organised criminals are increasingly involved in the trading of counterfeit goods, the charity Crimestoppers has warned. SOCA has teamed up with Crimestoppers to promote the Fakes Fund Crime campaign and squash the myth that counterfeiting is a harmless enterprise. In reality it is often run by international, highly organised and extremely profitable crime networks which are also involved in weapons trafficking, prostitution, drug smuggling and people smuggling. A recent review suggested that the criminal gain from counterfeiting in the UK was worth £1.3 billion every year…

Four men have been jailed after counterfeit bank notes worth more than £1m were uncovered by police. Their sentences, handed down at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday, ranged from 12 years to five-and-a-half years.