Counterfeit and copyright-infringing goods smuggled into the European Union (E.U.) come primarily from China and Hong Kong, based on the seizures at the E.U.’s borders in 2019 and 2020, according to a recent report (pdf) released jointly by the European Union Intellectual Property Office and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). “IP [intellectual property] crime continues to constitute a substantial threat to the health and safety of consumers. Furthermore, it negatively impacts the E.U. economy,” the report stated. By the report’s figures, counterfeit and pirated goods worth 119 billion euros ($130 billion) were imported into the European Union in 2019, comprising 5.8 percent of all E.U. imports that year. The report called these data “particularly concerning” amid efforts to recover from the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19 and move forward with post-pandemic stabilization. The report made no effort to downplay the role of the pandemic in facilitating the …