UL Standards & Engagement's
World Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign
Be Safe Buy Real
UL Standards & Engagement's World Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign is an annual global campaign designed to raise awareness among the general public about the health and safety risks associated with the consequences of counterfeiting.
For over 25 years, UL Standards & Engagement has been committed to supporting global anti-counterfeiting initiatives as part of its mission “to make the world a safer place.” Building on this commitment, we identified the need to educate buyers about the health and safety risks counterfeit products pose to individuals and put a spotlight on the ugly truth that much of the revenue from the sales of counterfeit products goes to support criminal activity such as child labor, human trafficking and terrorism. As a response to this need for buyer education, UL Standards & Engagement's Anti-Counterfeiting Awareness Week’s Be Safe Buy Real campaign was born and continues to grow. The 2021 campaign reach is featured above.
During the campaign, specialists in intellectual property (IP) crime and counterfeiting contribute their expertise to UL Standards & Engagement's Be Safe Buy Real campaign through social media posts, interviews, articles, infographics and videos that provide valuable and surprising insights.
In 2019, counterfeiting would have subtracted nearly $131 billion from the US economy, meaning $22.3 billion of lost labor income and 325,000+ fewer jobs. This is an issue that not only affects the prosperity of our country but also directly funds organized crime. Our website features a tool that allows users to easily send messages to their U.S. elected officials to alert legislators and their constituents about the issue of counterfeiting. In 2021, 225 messages were sent to legislation! The process takes 2 minutes or less and is available for any U.S. Resident.
Our partners help make our campaign possible by collaborating on educational materials and reaching larger audiences. In 2021, our number of partnerships grew 100% from 2019 and continues to expand. Check out the Partners page to learn more about these great organizations and why combating counterfeiting is important to them.
