Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress the Government has made on tackling the availability of counterfeit electrical goods on online platforms.

The Government takes the issue of IP infringement seriously, including counterfeit electrical goods. The Intellectual Property Office works closely with law enforcement and government partners such as Trading Standards and Border Force to prevent counterfeit electrical goods from being sold in the UK. Industry initiatives such as the Real Deal have also reduced the availability of counterfeit electrical goods at local markets and online marketplaces.

The Police IP Crime Unit, launched in September 2013, has had a significant impact having investigated intellectual property crime worth more than £100 million and suspended over 30,000 internet domains. Ongoing enforcement initiatives include Operation Beorma tacking counterfeits and organised crime groups, and work by National Trading Standards and the Intellectual Property Office to deal with the risks posed by sellers who use self-storage units to distribute counterfeit items.

BEIS officials have also met online retailers to discuss the availability of counterfeits on their platforms and to help co-ordinate law enforcement action against sellers.