The rise of online brand infringements [2020–2025]

Selling online has never been easier. Anyone can launch a storefront in minutes, tap into global marketplaces, and reach millions of customers. But that convenience comes with a dark side. It’s never been easier to sell fake products online either.

During the pandemic, eCommerce saw a massive spike as shoppers moved online in record numbers. Counterfeiters saw an opportunity, and they didn’t waste a second. Fake listings flooded marketplaces. Scam websites popped up overnight. And brands, many of them unprepared for this digital wave of deception, found themselves playing defense.

In this post, I’ll break down how online brand infringements have mushroomed since 2020. We’ll look at the tactics counterfeiters use to slip past detection, why this problem impacts more than just big brands, and how it affects consumer trust and safety. I’ll also share where a partner like BrandShield steps in, not just to catch the fakes, but to shut them down fast.

Growth of online counterfeiting

Counterfeiting was already big business. A U.S. Homeland Security study found that international trade in fake goods jumped by 154% between 2005 and 2016, climbing from US$200 billion to US$509 billion, and it noted that e‑commerce platforms are “ideal storefronts” for counterfeiters [1].

The pandemic turbo‑charged this trend. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports that from fiscal 2020 to 2024 the number of goods seized for intellectual‑property violations more than doubled, while the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of seized goods jumped 95% in 2024 compared with 2023 [2].

Ninety‑seven percent of those seizures came in express and mail shipments, which shows how counterfeiters exploit small parcels to avoid scrutiny [2]. China and Hong Kong are behind roughly 90% of seized goods, and the priciest fakes are jewelry, watches and handbags [2].

Zooming out, the problem is huge. The OECD and EUIPO estimated that counterfeit and pirated goods were worth US$467 billion in 2021 – about 2.3% of global trade – and that fake imports into the EU alone were worth around EUR 99 billion, or 4.7% of total EU imports [3].

Entrupy’s 2023 State of the Fake report goes even further, valuing the broader market for counterfeit goods, pirated content and trade‑secret theft at US$2.8 trillion and pointing out that U.S. consumers spend over US$100 billion a year on infringing products [4].

Social commerce and livestreaming

Fake goods aren’t just hiding on static marketplaces anymore. Counterfeiters have moved into social commerce and livestream shopping. According to IP Law Watch, retail e‑commerce sales are forecast to exceed US$4.3 trillion in 2025 and social commerce already makes up about 17.1% of online sales, with more than half of Generation Z consumers buying through social media [5]. In China, apps like TikTok, Douyin and WeChat act as full‑funnel shopping platforms.

A 2025 World Trademark Review article describes viral TikTok videos pushing “factory direct” luxury goods and then steering buyers into private sales on WeChat. WeChat’s own 2024 Brand Protection Report shows it shut down over 120,000 livestream rooms selling counterfeit goods, acted on 23,000 complaints and penalised more than 32,000 hosts between January and October 2024 [8].

Types of brand infringement

Counterfeit products. CBP’s 2024 stats show the most frequently seized counterfeits include handbags and wallets (5.1 million items) and pharmaceuticals (3.7 million), followed by apparel and consumer electronics [2]. Health‑and‑safety goods are especially worrying: counterfeit pharmaceuticals made up nearly half of all health‑and‑safety seizures in 2023 [9].

Phishing and brand impersonation. Generative AI is fuelling a surge in phishing. Menlo Security’s 2025 report notes a 140% rise in browser‑based phishing attacks versus 2023 and a staggering 700% increase in new phishing websites since 2020. Roughly 51% of phishing attempts involve brand impersonation, and 75% of malicious links are hosted on otherwise trustworthy sites [6].

Cybersquatting. In 2024 the World Intellectual Property Organization handled 6,168 domain‑name dispute cases under the UDRP, with complainants from 133 countries across sectors such as retail, finance, pharma, IT and fashion [7]. Hijacked domains are still a popular way to misdirect customers or sell fakes. 

Social‑media impersonation. Influencers and bots normalise “dupes.” Short videos, cloned profiles and private messages across multiple platforms make enforcement complicated, as promotion, payment and fulfilment often happen in different places [8]. 

Impact on brands and consumers

Counterfeit trade isn’t a victimless game. Entrupy notes that of the US$1.4 billion worth of products it authenticated in 2023, about 9% were counterfeit – a 0.8‑point jump from 2022 [4]. Those losses translate into less investment in innovation and marketing. Job losses tell a similar story: the UK Intellectual Property Office estimates counterfeiting costs 80 500 jobs in the UK and 434 000 jobs across the EU each year.

Counterfeits also endanger consumers. CBP warns that many fake goods are made with substandard materials, leading to everything from pharmaceuticals missing active ingredients to brake pads that failcbp.gov.

Where BrandShield steps in

With counterfeiters and impersonators exploiting every corner of the digital world, brands need a partner that can see across channels and take action. BrandShield’s platform uses artificial intelligence to scan domains, social media, marketplaces and the wider web for look‑alike sites, fake profiles, unauthorized sellers and phishing attempts. When it spots a threat, BrandShield’s enforcement team works with registrars, hosts and platforms to shut it down. This is not just about alerting you to problems; it’s about removing them.

BrandShield’s marketplace monitoring crawls hundreds of platforms to detect and remove counterfeit goods, while its social‑media tools identify impersonators and suspicious accounts before they go viral. For phishing and domain abuse, BrandShield tracks typosquatting and look‑alike domains and can trigger takedown requests or legal action quickly. All of this information is consolidated into a unified dashboard, allowing brands to identify the source of threats and track the progress of enforcement.

Looking ahead

Unless brands and authorities act, online brand infringement will keep growing. OECD/EUIPO figures show counterfeits already account for several per cent of global trade [3], and CBP sees no decline in small‑parcel trafficking [2]. Social commerce is expanding, and AI tools make it cheaper and easier to spin up convincing phishing pages [6][8].

The good news? Platforms like WeChat are proactively shutting down infringing livestreams [8], and marketplace operators such as eBay removed more than 2.7 million counterfeit items in 2022. With BrandShield monitoring and taking down threats across the digital landscape, brands can stay ahead of counterfeiters and protect customers at the same time.

 Sources

1. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods – reports a 154% increase in counterfeit trade from 2005 to 2016 and describes e‑commerce as an ideal storefront for counterfeiters [1].
2. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Intellectual Property Rights Seizure Statistics FY 2024 – notes that seizures doubled between 2020 and 2024, the MSRP of seized goods rose 95% in 2024, and 97% of seizures occur in express and mail shipments; also lists top counterfeit categories and their valuescbp.govcbp.gov.
3. OECD/EUIPO. Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025 – estimates that counterfeit and pirated goods were worth US$467 billion (2.3% of world trade) in 2021 and that fake imports into the EU were worth EUR 99 billion (4.7% of EU imports)euipo.europa.eu.
4. Entrupy. State of the Fake 2023 and 2024 – values the counterfeit market (goods, piracy and trade secrets) at US$2.8 trillion; reports that U.S. consumers spend more than US$100 billion on infringing goods and that counterfeit imports cost the U.S. economy tens of billions in lost sales, wages and taxes; notes that 9% of items it authenticated in 2023 were counterfeitentrupy.comentrupy.com.
5. IP Law Watch. Brand Guardians: Effective Strategies Against Cyber Counterfeiting (2025) – states that e‑commerce sales are projected to exceed US$4.3 trillion in 2025, social commerce represents 17.1% of online sales, and over half of Gen Z consumers buy through social media; cites job losses due to counterfeiting and reports that eBay removed over 2.7 million counterfeit items in 2022iplawwatch.com.
6. Menlo Security. State of Browser Security 2025 – reports a 140% increase in browser‑based phishing attacks since 2023, a 700% rise in new phishing sites since 2020 and that 51% of phishing attempts involve brand impersonationsecuritymagazine.com.
7. World Intellectual Property Organization. UDRP Cases 2024 – notes that 6 168 domain‑name disputes were filed in 2024, with complainants from 133 countries across multiple industrieswipo.int.
8. World Trademark Review/MarqVision. IP authorities crack down on online infringement with increased data monitoring (2025) – describes how TikTok and WeChat are being used to market fakes and reports that WeChat shut down over 120 000 livestream rooms and penalised 32 000 hosts for selling counterfeits in 2024worldtrademarkreview.com.
9. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Truth Behind Counterfeits (2025) – explains that 90% of CBP seizures come from China and Hong Kong and that over 90% of seizures occur in international mail and express consignments; highlights the safety risks posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals and other health‑and‑safety goodscbp.gov.