CONSUMER PROTECTION FROM COUNTERFEIT AND PIRATED PRODUCTS

Abstract

Counterfeit and pirated products are incurred with unauthorized use of intellectual property rights. Traders who sell those products do that in order to get extra profit, as a rule, by misleading consumers who buy those products believing that they are genuine. Selling of such goods is prohibited by the rules on the protection of intellectual property rights, competition rules and rules on consumer protection. In this article author points out to the most important sources of international law in mentioned areas, which have been implemented in the legal system of the Republic of Serbia. It is indicated that the aforementioned three different fields of law overlap when the focus is on consumer protection. In conclusion, author analyzes effectiveness of the implementation of intellectual property protection, competition law and consumer protection by the competent authorities and at the same time indicates to the weaknesses in their work and gives suggestions for overcoming them.