Intellectual property and youth : scoreboard 2016.
Date: 2016-09-01
Institutions: European Union Intellectual Property Office
Subjects: EU Member State, Internet, activity report, consumer behaviour, copyright, digital literacy, digital technology, goods and services, information technology user, intellectual property, patent, trade mark, young person

INTELLECTUAL 
PROPERTY AND YOUTH
-
Scoreboard 2016

INTELLECTUAL 
PROPERTY AND YOUTH
-
Scoreboard 2016

Intellectual Property and Youth

This survey has been commissioned to GfK, 
by the European Union Intellectual Property  
Office  in  the  framework  of  the  Programme 
of the European Observatory on Infringements 
of Intellectual Property Rights.

FIELDWORK  2015

PUBLICATION  April 2016

-

Cover pictures:  

© Michael Flippo
© Antares614

- 3 -

Intellectual Property and YouthTable of contents

Foreword    ............................................................................................

1. Executive summary     ...................................................................... 

1.1 Digital content .......................................................................................   
1.2 Online purchase of physical goods .......................................................  
1.3 Communication on counterfeiting and piracy  ....................................  

2. Overall introduction    ......................................................................  

3. Part A: Qualitative Research — Focus Groups ..................................  

3.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................   
3.2 Digital content .......................................................................................   
3.2.1 Attitudes towards online content offered legally/illegally .....   
3.2.2 Identification of websites with content offered legally/illegally   
3.2.3 Journey map .................................................................................
3.2.4 Drivers and barriers for online content offered legally/illegally     
3.2.5 Further motivation to access online content offered legally      
3.3 Online purchases of physical goods ......................................................   
3.3.1 Attitudes towards online purchases of physical goods ...........   
3.3.2 Journey map for online purchases of physical goods .............   
3.3.3 Attitudes towards online purchases of counterfeit goods .......   
3.3.4 Awareness of channels for online purchases of counterfeit 
products ...................................................................................................   
3.3.5 Identification of websites selling counterfeit products ...........   
3.3.6 Identification of counterfeit products in webshops .................   
3.4 Communication regarding piracy and counterfeiting .........................   
3.4.1 Familiarity with and attitudes towards the notion of IP ........   
3.4.2 Awareness of current communication on IP ............................   
3.4.3 Desired communication regarding IP ........................................   

6

9

10
16
21

22

24

25
26
26
29
31
35
38
40
40
43
47

49
50
51
52
52
54
56 

4. Part B: Quantitative Research — Online Survey ..............................   

61

4.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................   

62

- 4 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.2 Digital content ......................................................................................   
4.2.1 Usage patterns of digital content  .............................................   
4.2.2 Drivers of accessing digital content  .........................................  
4.2.3 Accessing digital content – legally or illegally ........................   
4.2.4 Young Europeans intentionally accessing digital content
from illegal sources  .............................................................................   
4.2.5 Young people who do not intentionally access digital 
content from illegal sources ................................................................  
4.2.6 Young people who do not know if the sources they use are 
legal or illegal ........................................................................................  
4.2.7 Experiences when accessing digital content ...........................  
4.3 Physical goods  .....................................................................................  
4.3.1 Purchase patterns of physical goods online ............................  
4.3.2 Drivers for purchasing physical goods online .........................  
4.3.3 Purchasing counterfeit goods .................................................... 
4.3.4 Young people who intentionally purchase counterfeit 
goods online .......................................................................................... 
4.3.5 Young Europeans who do not intentionally buy counterfeit 
goods ......................................................................................................  
4.3.6 Young people who do not know if are purchasing 
counterfeit goods ...................................................................................  
4.3.7 Experience when purchasing physical goods online ..............  

64
64
66
69

70

78

82
84
88
88
89
92

93

97

100 
100

4.4 Distinguishing legal and illegal sources for both digital content and
physical goods .............................................................................................   
4.5 Communication .....................................................................................   

104
110

5. Conclusions of the research  ............................................................  

115 

6. Appendix 1: Discussion guide .........................................................

119

7. Appendix 2: Country reports ........................................................... 

129

8. Appendix 3: Questionnaire .............................................................. 

167

9. Appendix 4: Country profiles ..........................................................   

188

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreword

Intellectual Property and Youth

Previous  studies  by  the  Office  through  the  Observatory  have  made  clear  the  strong 
linkages between Intellectual Property Rights and the economy. They have also illustrated 
the negative consequences of infringements to jobs in legitimate industry and government 
revenue.

However, the 2013 study of what European citizens think about these important rights 
demonstrated that not everyone fully accepts the contribution of IPR and that young 
people in particular can be sceptical.

In response to these results the Office set out to try and better understand the attitudes 
of 15-24 year olds via the current IP Youth Scoreboard, which will be repeated on a 
regular basis to monitor evolution.

The Scoreboard covers young people in all 28 Member States and its main objective 
is  to  gather  knowledge  on  how  young  people  behave  online  in  terms  of  Intellectual 
Property Rights.

In particular, it explores what are the main drivers and barriers to acquiring digital 
content and physical goods offered from both legal and illegal sources. 

Finally, the study assesses what could be done to improve the situation.  

To briefly summarise a few of the main findings, the report reveals that young European 
citizens feel there is a lack of information about IP that would help them understand 
the issues. They also say that the information that is available is not communicated 
effectively to their age group.

These factors combine to produce an atmosphere of indifference so that many young 
people who have been brought up in this digital age do not care whether they infringe 
IP or not. 

Around one third of the study respondents also identify the lack of availability of the 
films or television series that their colleagues from the US or other places have access 
to as a factor driving them to illegal sources.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, two thirds of those polled identified price as a 
significant driver for using illegal sources.

- 7 -

Intellectual Property and YouthThis study provides a comprehensive and thorough review of the subject, carried out 
impartially and using a transparent methodology.

The current report, combined with the facts and evidence in other studies carried out 
by the Office through the Observatory, deserves to be carefully studied by IP rights 
owners, industry professionals, educators and policymakers. 

The findings may not please everyone but they certainly indicate the scale of the problem 
ahead if future generations are to understand and respect IP rights.

Hopefully, they will create a greater understanding of the issue and inspire new approaches 
to providing young people with the tools they need to properly understand the role of 
innovation and play a full and constructive role in the knowledge society.

Out of this we hope to build the foundation for a network that can give a lead to our 
joint efforts to build an IP education and communication strategy that really works 
when deployed nationally by local actors.

It probably won’t be easy, but it will certainly be exciting, and I would warmly thank 
everyone for helping us take the first steps on this journey.

António Campinos, 
Executive Director, EUIPO

- 8 -

 
1. Executive Summary

Intellectual Property and Youth

In 2013, the EUIPO, through the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual 
Property Rights, commissioned a study “European Citizens and Intellectual Property: 
Perception, Awareness and Behaviour”. One of its key results indicated that the younger 
generation challenges IP significantly more than other age groups.
In order to have a better understanding of the reasons why this is happening, the EUIPO 
ordered this follow-up study among young people aged 15-24 in all 28 Member States 
(MS). The main objective of this study is to gather knowledge on how young people 
behave online in terms of intellectual property rights. In particular, it explores what are 
the main drivers and barriers to acquiring digital content and physical goods offered 
both legally and illegally. Finally, the study assesses what could be done to improve 
the situation.  
The first phase of the study consisted of qualitative research in each of the 28 MS. 
This was done in the form of focus group sessions of 120 minutes in which 8 young 
Europeans per group participated. The second phase was the quantitative part of the 
study, which consisted of an online survey using CAWI1 methodology based on GfK 
panels in the 28 MS. The questionnaire for the online survey was designed based on 
the results of the qualitative focus groups and was used to obtain quantifiable data in 
addition to the insights obtained during the qualitative research. The subgroups that 
are considered by default relate to the socio-demographic characteristics of gender, age 
group, education level (completed education and undertaking education), employment 
status, and income as a student. 

1.1 Digital Content

MUSIC IS THE MOST FREQUENTLY ACCESSED DIGITAL CONTENT

Music, films and series, and games were accessed and used by the majority of respondents 
in the past 12 months while e-newspapers and magazines and e-books were accessed 
by slightly smaller proportions. 

97% - MUSIC

95% - FILMS AND SERIES

80% - TV SHOWS AND SPORT

91% - GAMES

61% - E-NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES

83% - EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

58% - E-BOOKS

1 

Computer-assisted Web Interviewing

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Intellectual Property and YouthLooking at the usage frequency2, music was accessed 204 days per year on average. 
The type of content that young people used the least was e-newspapers and magazines, 
46 days per year. 

STREAMING, IN GENERAL, IS MORE POPULAR THAN DOWNLOADING

The  focus  groups  found  that  for  young  people  it  makes  less  sense  to  download  the 
song, to store it on the hard drive of their cell phone, tablet, laptop or other device. The 
same is true for sports, which are one-time events to be experienced live. Thus, music, 
films, series and sport are mainly streamed and not downloaded, which is not the case 
for e-books. These preferences between streaming or downloading digital content were 
confirmed by the results from the online survey. 

TV shows
and sport

Films and series

E-newspapers
and magazines

Educational
content

Music

Games

E-books

73% 

66% 

63% 

53% 

48% 

46% 

41% 

15% 

12% 

17% 

17% 

23% 

14% 

26% 

21% 

28% 

24% 

36% 

42% 

18% 

17% 

AVERAGE

56% 

27% 

18% 

Streaming/playing/reading

Downloading

Both streaming/playing/reading AND downloading

Teenagers (15-17 year olds) are more likely than average to stream various content 
types: TV shows and sport, e-newspapers and magazines, films and series, e-books and 
educational content; whereas adults (22-24 year olds) prefer to download TV shows 
and sport, films and series, e-books and educational content.

Usage frequency is calculated by recoding answers to a single unit of “days per year”: the answer ‘daily 

2 
use’ is multiplied by 365, the answer ‘weekly use’ is multiplied by 52, the answer ‘monthly use’ is multiplied by 
12 and the answer ‘rare use’ is multiplied by 4.

- 11 -

QUALITY,  PRICE  AND  SAFETY  ARE  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  ASPECTS 
YOUNG PEOPLE CONSIDER WHEN ACCESSING CONTENT ONLINE

When asked what young Europeans consider important when they stream or download 
digital content, three aspects stand out: almost two thirds of the respondents say the 
online content being of good quality is one of the most important aspects. For a slightly 
smaller proportion of young people, digital content which is cheap or free of charge is 
very important. The safety of the site or source comes third. The results of the survey 
find that nearly one third (29%) of young people state that they consider the legality of 
the source as important when accessing digital content. Country variations are shown 
in the report.

64% 

59% 

52% 

46% 
46% 

43% 

The content is of good quality

The content is cheap or free of charge

The site/source is safe

Fast stream/download

Plenty of choice

No need to register

The site is user-friendly

No risk of account being/of paying fine

The content is offered on a legal basis

Get and reuse content on any device

Pay in an easy way

Stream/access in other countries

Pay per item

Pay a subscription fee

35% 

29% 
29% 

26% 

19% 

17% 

14% 
13% 

Being able to re-sell the content

9% 

25% OF YOUNG PEOPLE USED ILLEGAL SOURCES TO ACCESS DIGITAL 
CONTENT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

One in four young people use illegal sources to access digital content. Although there 
is clearly a proportion of young people who use illegal sources, the vast majority (81%) 
in the sample said they also use legal sources for accessing online content. This means 
that only a minority (5%) solely uses illegal sources to access online content.  Students 
with an income show a higher rate of intentional usage of illegal sources: 70% vs 63% 
of students without an income. Higher intentional usage is observed amongst those 
who have already completed education.

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Intellectual Property and YouthUsed illegal sources to access digital content3

22% 

25% 

13% 

40% 

Yes, intentionally

Yes, by accident

No

I don’t know

Those who accidentally accessed illegal sources (mostly the youngest group) gave the 
following reasons for refraining from infringements: fear of the risks posed by viruses 
or spyware (53%), little trust in illegal sources (45%) and not wishing to do anything 
illegal (43%). The majority of young people who do not know whether they used legal 
or illegal sources stated that it is due to the fact that they are unable to determine whether 
the source is legal or not rather than the fact they do not care about the legality of the 
source.

AMONGST THOSE WHO INTENTIONALLY USE ILLEGAL SOURCES, 
FILMS AND SERIES ARE THE DIGITAL CONTENT THAT IS MOST 
FREQUENTLY ACCESSED USING THESE SOURCES 

Music is the most popular digital content that young people access, with almost all 
young  people  streaming  or  downloading  this  content  (97%).  However,  only  a  little 
over half (56%) of young people who use illegal sources are doing so to access music 
content.  Films/series  is  the  second  most  accessed  content  (95%),  but  the  first  (85%) 
intentionally accessed through illegal sources. 

.

Use of digital content in general and intentional use of digital content from illegal sources4

All respondents 
(nº 24,295)

97% 

95% 

91% 

83% 

80% 

61% 

58% 

MUSIC

FILMS 
AND SERIES

GAMES

EDUCATIONAL
CONTENT

TV SHOWS 
AND SPORT

E-NEWSPAPERS
AND MAGAZINES

E-BOOKS

56% 

85% 

29% 

7% 

17% 

5% 

15% 

Respondents who 
intentionally used 
illegal sources 
(nº 6,737)

3 
Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed con-
tent from illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083) and IV3: Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content 
intentionally? (N=9,907)
4 
streamed the following content from the internet during the past 12 months? (N=24,295) and IV4: Which type of 
content did you use, play, download or stream intentionally from an illegal source (website)? Please indicate all 
that apply. (N=6,737)

Source: Question II3.1: How often have you listened to, watched, read, used, played, downloaded or 

- 13 -

PRICE, “PERSONAL USE ONLY” AND AVAILABILITY ARE THE TOP THREE 
DRIVERS FOR USING ILLEGAL SOURCES 

Price matters the most for woman (73% vs 62% men), for students without an income 
(71%  vs  67%  students  with  an  income),  for  unemployed  respondents  (67%  vs  56% 
employed)  and  last  but  not  least  for  students  in  higher  education  (73%  vs  62%  in 
secondary education). Price is the most important driver for using illegal sources for 
online content in all countries amongst those using illegal sources.  The second most 
important reason for using illegal sources indicated by 38% of young people who do 
so is that they do not see anything wrong in doing it as it is for their personal use. This 
attitude is expressed less often by those who graduated from higher education (28% 
compared with 38% for medium and 34% for lower educated). 
30% of those using illegal sources indicate that they cannot find the digital content 
they are searching for on legal sites, and approximately one third indicate the following 
aspects as being the drivers for using illegal sources: online content on illegal sources 
being available more quickly, there is no need to register, content on illegal sources is 
easier to find and access or is of a larger choice on illegal sources. All these reasons 
are mentioned more often by women than by men.

67% 

Drivers for intentionally using illegal sources5

Free of charge or cheaper

For personal use

Available quicker

No need to register

Larger choice

Easier to find and access

Only find using illegal sources

Access content per item

Check before ordering from legal source

People around me do this

Access content in another country

Re-use content on other devices

Search engine shows

Don’t know why not

Other

4% 

38% 

33% 

31% 
30% 

30% 

29% 

27% 

20% 

17% 

15% 

14% 

14% 

12% 

5 
ne content during the past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply. (N=6,737)

Source: Question IV5: You indicated that you have used illegal sources (websites) intentionally for onli-

- 14 -

Intellectual Property and YouthTHE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE CONTENT VIA LEGAL SOURCES, 
RISK  OF  PUNISHMENT  AND  NEGATIVE  EXPERIENCE  WOULD  BE  THE 
PRIMARY REASONS TO STOP USING ILLEGAL SOURCES

Amongst those in the focus groups who are aware that they are using illegal sources 
to access digital content, the potential loss of income that music or film stars could 
suffer caused by their behaviour does not seem to make an impression. The availability 
of affordable content via legal sources would be the primary reason to stop using illegal 
sources  according  to  the  survey.  Young  women  (61%  vs  56%  men)  and  students  in 
higher  education  (63%  vs  49%  in  secondary  education)  are  the  socio-demographic 
groups who share this opinion the most. The risk of punishment is the second most 
indicated reason for young people to eventually stop using illegal sources. The potential 
risk of punishment has more impact on young women (40%) than young men (33%), 
on the youngest age group (42%) more than on the middle (36%) and the oldest age 
groups  (32%)  and  on  students  (38%)  more  than  on  non-students  (30%).  The  third  
reason to stop using illegal sources is having had a bad experience. Here, the biggest 
impact  of  a  negative  experience  is  when  that  experience  is  personal  (rather  than  
happening to others), especially for young women (31% vs 26% men).

Main reasons given to stop using illegal sources to access digital content6

58% 

Availability of affordable
original products

Risk of punishment

Bad experience
(personal)

Bad experience
(others)

Bad experience
(friends/family)

Better understanding of
harm caused by behaviour

Nothing would make
 me stop

9% 

36% 

28% 

22% 

20% 

18% 

Source: Question IV6: You indicated that you have used illegal sources (websites) intentionally for on-

6 
line content during the past 12 months. What would make you stop using illegal sources? Please indicate all that 
apply. (N=6,737)

- 15 -

1.2 Online purchase of physical goods

CLOTHES  AND  ACCESSORIES  ARE  THE  MOST  COMMON  PRODUCTS 
BOUGHT ONLINE 

Clothes  and  accessories  are  by  far  the  most  popular  product  category  to  be  bought  
online  by  young  Europeans.  The  second  most  popular  product  is  footwear.  Both  
product  categories  are  bought  significantly  more  often  by  young  females  (73% 
for  clothes  and  accessories  and  50%  for  footwear)  than  by  males  (55%  and  41%). 
These  products  are  not  only  gender-driven,  but  the  online  purchase  of  clothes  and  
accessories  and  footwear  also  increases  with  age,  level  of  education  and  income.  
Tickets,  the  third  most  popular  product  bought  online  by  young  people,  are  also 
bought more often by young women (42%) than by men (31%). Similar to clothing 
and  footwear,  tickets  are  bought  more  often  by  older  respondents,  higher  educated  
respondents and those with an income.

64%

46%

36%

35%

31%

30%

30%

26%

Clothes and accessories

Footwear

Tickets 
Transport, events, etc

Small electronic devices 
USB sticks, earphones, etc

Books and magazines

Hygiene, cosmetics, 
personal care and perfume

Music and films

Games
CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc

25%

23%

23%

23%

18%

14%

12%

9%

Sportswear and equipment

Jewellery and watches

Large electronic devices
Computers, cameras, consoles

Telecom equipment 
Phones and accessories

Foodstuff and beverages

Toys

Medication

Household cleaning 
and laundry

- 16 -

Intellectual Property and YouthSAFE  PAYMENT  METHOD,  QUALITY  AND  PRICE  ARE  THE  MOST  
IMPORTANT ASPECTS WHILE BUYING PRODUCTS ONLINE

A  safe  payment  method  is  indicated  by  almost  two  thirds  of  young  people  as  an  
important consideration when making an online purchase. In terms of socio-demographic 
categories, a larger proportion of young women (69%) and students without an income 
(68%)  consider  the  safety  of  payment  important  in  comparison  to  men  (61%)  and  
students with an income (64%). The youngest age group (15-17 year olds) is also more 
likely than average to find this aspect important. Quality is the second most indicated 
aspect,  with  no  major  differences  between  the  different  socio-demographic  groups, 
although  the  youngest  group  mentions  this  aspect  more  than  the  older  age  groups  
(respectively 68% vs 62% vs 60%). Price is the third aspect, which is more important 
for young men (50% vs 48% women), the older age group (18% vs 14% for the youngest), 
employed (21% vs 16% for the unemployed) and lower educated (19% vs 14% higher 
educated) respondents.

Payment method is safe

Good quality

Cheap

Trust vendor

Site is safe

Receive item as quickly as possible

Item is original, not fake

Site offers consumer protection

Plenty of choice

Easy to pay

65% 

63% 

49% 

44% 

42% 

41% 

40% 

37% 

34% 

30% 

Buy items that are not available in-store

Buy anytime and anywhere

Item easy to find

22% 

19% 

17% 

12% OF YOUNG PEOPLE INTENTIONALLY BOUGHT A COUNTERFEIT 
PRODUCT ONLINE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

Young  people  have  a  different  mind-set  when  it  comes  to  the  online  purchase  of 
counterfeit  products  in  comparison  to  their  attitudes  and  behaviours  when  illegally 
accessing  digital  content.  The  qualitative  and  quantitative  analysis  highlights  that 
young people do not really care whether sources are legal or illegal when streaming or 

- 17 -

downloading content. In contrast, in the focus groups they indicated that they do not 
like counterfeit goods and are not interested in buying these products. This is supported 
by  the  results  of  the  quantitative  analysis,  which  find  that  a  minority  of  only  12%  
intentionally buy counterfeit goods. Young females, 18-21 year olds, students in higher 
education and the unemployed are less likely to buy counterfeit goods intentionally.

Purchase of counterfeit goods7

10%  12% 

10% 

68% 

Yes, intentionally

Yes, by accident

No

I don’t know

Counterfeit goods seem to have a rather bad image amongst young people. They are 
expected to be of lesser quality than genuine products. The offer of counterfeit products 
is associated with shady websites that young people do not trust. Young Europeans 
fear fraud and do not want to experience any harm from buying counterfeit products 
online. Young people are far more conscious of avoiding counterfeit goods given these 
reasons. 

CLOTHES  AND  ACCESSORIES  ARE  THE  MOST  POPULAR  CATEGORY  
OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS BOUGHT ONLINE

Clothes and accessories are the most popular category of goods purchased online in 
general and are the most likely goods to be purchased as counterfeits amongst those 
who do so. Counterfeits in other categories are bought less often.

All respondents 
(nº 24,295)

64% 

46% 

36% 

35% 

31% 

CLOTHES 
AND ACCESSORIES

FOOTWEAR

TICKETS

SMALL 
ELECTRONIC DEVICES

BOOKS AND
MAGAZINES

46% 

33% 

5% 

19% 

7% 

Respondents who 
intentionally used 
illegal sources 
(nº 6,737)

7 

Source: Question III2: During the past 12 months, have you bought a fake product online? (N=21,981)

- 18 -

Intellectual Property and YouthPRICE IS THE MAIN DRIVER FOR BUYING COUNTERFEIT GOODS ONLINE  
FOLLOWED BY INDIFFERENCE AND BELIEF THAT PURCHASING A FAKE 
IS A GOOD DEAL

For  the  minority  of  young  people  who  do  intentionally  purchase  counterfeit  goods  
online, the main driver of this behaviour is price, and after this it is the indifference as 
to whether the goods are counterfeit or not. A quarter of those who intentionally purchase 
counterfeit goods online are motivated by getting a ‘good deal’. More than one in ten 
young people bought a counterfeit good because the sites offering the originals were 
not available in their country.

Drivers of intentional purchase of counterfeit goods online8

Cheaper

Do not care

Good deal

58% 

30% 

26% 

No difference between original and fake

Easier to find and order

22% 

17% 

No delivery of original products to country

Choice

Why not

Protest against big brands

Receive faster

People around me do it

Other

4% 

15% 

13% 

11% 
11% 

10% 

10% 

AVAILABILITY  OF  AFFORDABLE  ORIGINALS,  BAD  EXPERIENCE  AND 
RISK  OF  PUNISHMENT  WOULD  MAKE  MOST  YOUNG  PEOPLE  STOP  
BUYING COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS

Almost half of young people buying counterfeit products would stop doing so if affordable 
original products were available. Again, price seems a clear motivator in the decision to 
buy a counterfeit good. In particular, young women (53% vs 38% men) who intentionally 
bought counterfeit goods would buy genuine goods if affordable. Having a bad experience, 
either personal, of one of their friends and relatives or of others, is another potential 
reason to stop. For young women (44%), a negative personal experience would have 
more impact than for men (38%). A third important factor indicated by the respondents 
8 
the past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply. (N=2,836)

Source: Question III4: You indicated that you have intentionally bought a fake product online during 

- 19 -

as a reason to stop buying counterfeit goods is the risk of punishment, although only 
23% of the oldest age group (22-24 year olds) mention this answer.

45% 

41% 

Availability of affordable
original products

Bad experience
(personal)

Risk of punishment

Bad experience
(friends/family)

Bad experience
(others)

Harms image

Better understanding of
harm caused by behaviour

No barriers

5% 

27% 

27% 

25% 

16% 

15% 

A  THIRD  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  SAY  THAT  THEY  ARE  ABLE  TO  
DISTINGUISH  SITES  SELLING  COUNTERFEIT  GOODS  FROM  THOSE 
THAT  SELL  GENUINE  GOODS,  AND  HALF  INDICATED  THAT  THEY 
ARE  ABLE  TO  DISTINGUISH  LEGAL  FROM  ILLEGAL  SOURCES  FOR  
ONLINE CONTENT

The  most  important  indicator  to  consider  a  source  legal,  mentioned  by  almost  half 
of  all  young  people  (48%),  is  whether  contact  details  are  available.  Moreover,  39% 
of young people emphasise the fact that if people they know use the site, it is a clear 
reason to consider the source legal. A similar proportion argues that when payment 
providers and credit card logos are displayed on payment pages, the site is legal. The 
popularity of the website in search engine results also influences young people, with 
just over a third (35%) of young people believing that when the site is one of the first 
results  to  appear  in  a  search  it  is  legal.  For  27%  of  young  Europeans,  the  fact  that  
advertisements of major brands are displayed is a sign that the source is legal.

- 20 -

Intellectual Property and YouthSeller's contact
details available

People I know
use this source

Payment method
with logos displayed

Site listed high
in search results

No bad reviews

Prices indicated

Advertisements
of major brands

Other

4% 

48% 

39% 

38% 

35% 

35% 

31%

27% 

1.3 Communication on counterfeiting and piracy

ARGUMENTS RELATED TO PERSONAL SAFETY RATHER THAN MORAL 
VALUES  ARE  BETTER  SUITED  TO  CONVINCING  YOUNG  PEOPLE 
TO  THINK  TWICE  BEFORE  USING  ILLEGAL  SOURCES  OR  BUYING  
COUNTERFEIT GOODS

Your credit card 

details could be stolen84%

You risk  your computer 
or device being infected 

by viruses or malware 78%

You risk a fine 

or another sanction76%

When you buy a counterfeit 
product which does not work 
properly you don’t have a 
guarantee 

74%

Money spent on counterfeit 
products goes to 

organised crime72%

- 21 -

48%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

58%

Counterfeit products can 
be bad for the environment

60%

Artists/creators and 
the team behind them 
may be harmed

66%

Illegal offers of content 
or products can cost your
friend/relative their job

70%

Counterfeit products can 
be bad for your health 
or even dangerous

2. Overall introduction

Intellectual Property and Youth

This research consists of two sub-studies, using two different kinds of methodology: a 
qualitative study based on focus groups and a quantitative study based on online surveys. 
The  findings  of  the  qualitative  focus  groups  will  be  presented  in  the  next  section.  
Subsequently, the findings of the quantitative part will be discussed. 
The study covers the 28 European Member States and targets young Europeans between 
15 and 24 years old. The main objective of the study is to gather knowledge of how 
young people behave online and in particular to explore what are for them the main 
drivers  and  barriers  for  acquiring  online  content  and  physical  goods  offered  legally 
and illegally and to assess what could be done to improve the situation in terms of  
communication or changes to the digital environment.

- 23 -

Intellectual Property and Youth3. Part A: Qualitative 
research — Focus groups

Intellectual Property and Youth

3.1 Introduction

With regard to online digital content, the qualitative part of the study aimed to create a 
journey map for searching, accessing, downloading, streaming and using content online 
(music,  films/series,  TV  shows  and  sport,  games,  e-books,  e-newspapers  and  magazines, 
educational content) in relation to legal and illegal sources. Journey mapping, here, 
means  an  oriented  graph  that  describes  the  journey  of  a  user  by  representing  the 
successive steps in using the internet to arrive at the content he or she is looking for. 
For the journey mapping, participants were asked to think retrospectively about every 
website they typically browse and use in chronological order to find the content they 
want; before this exercise they were also showed some examples of existing journey 
maps. 
A related main research objective comprised the understanding of their motivations 
with regard to searching, accessing and using legal/illegal sources of digital content.
With regard to the online purchase of physical goods, the study aimed to gauge young 
people’s attitudes towards counterfeit products, understanding their drivers and barriers 
when  purchasing  genuine  and  counterfeit  products  and  creating  a  journey  map  for 
how they search and order genuine and counterfeit products online.
In addition to these questions, the young people were also asked about their desired 
communication approach regarding counterfeiting and piracy.

Overview of the set-up:

    A total of 28 focus groups: 1 focus group of 2 hours in each EU country

RESEARCH 
SE-TUP

    Respondents

- Mix of age: between 15 and 24 years old
- Mix of life stage: students + workers
- Mix of gender: ½ men, ½ women 
- Mix of education: low, medium and high
- High use of internet and online content
- All had purchased products online before

    Fieldwork: January 29th 2015 - February 13th 2015

    Journey map for online content and counterfeit goods

TOPICS

    Drivers and barriers for online content and counterfeit goods  

    Evaluation of current communication on IP + identification of 
desired communication approach

- 25 -

Intellectual Property and Youth3.2 Digital content

Over the past years a general trend has emerged showing that material possessions become 
less important compared to experiences9. People want to experience things (e.g. driving 
an  exciting  car)  without  the  hassle  that  comes  with  the  ownership  (e.g.  insurance, 
maintenance, etc.). The same is true for young people and digital content which plays 
an important part in their life nowadays: young people want to listen to songs, watch 
films or play games without necessarily owning the song, film or game.

3.2.1 Attitude towards online content offered legally/illegally

In many of the EU Member States, young people indicated during the group discussions 
that  they  do not really care if the digital content  to  stream  or  download  is offered  
legally or not. They have the knowledge about the existence of legal and illegal content, 
but distinguishing between them is not a priority criterion when choosing a specific 
source. The main reason is that they do not feel any personal harm in streaming or 
downloading content from illegal sources. 

“I download everything I can, the sky is the limit. I do not care about legal issues.” 
(Belgium)

“No one sits by the computer and thinks: Oops, I won’t download this because this is 
an illegal page.” (Croatia)

“I care about authors, but not so much that I would pay.” (Croatia)

“What matters is if the source has the content I need.” (Slovakia)

“It does not matter what kind of sources you use, as long as you have access to what 
you search for.” (Romania)

Streaming and downloading from illegal online sources is widely accepted by young 
people. It has become part of their daily life and is often not questioned as it is seen 
as normal behaviour. Illegal sources providing content have always been part of the 
internet for as long as they can remember. 

9 

GfK Global Consumer Trends Report – Roper, 2014

- 26 -

“This is how I grew up; when I was young I did not have a credit card or any money 
on me so I went on the internet and obviously opted for free stuff. I grew up in this 
way, so now…” (France)

“I’ve been doing it so long, it seems normal, it seems legal.” (UK)

From the discussions with the 15-24 year olds it is clear that many of them are aware 
when they are accessing illegal sources providing digital content, and so in principle 
they know that they are part of an illegal process when using these sources. Only in 
Poland and Croatia do young people find the legislative framework on legal and illegal 
sources  for  digital  online  content  unclear.  Some  of  the  participants  in  Croatia  even 
believe that they do not have any restriction at all on offers of digital content and so 
they do not feel the need to care about the legality of a source.
Spontaneously, young people gave many reasons to justify the use of illegal sources 
for accessing digital content on the internet:

Financial reasons

- “I am a student, I do not have the money to pay for legal content”
- “The economy is not doing well, so we do not have money for 
legal content”
- “Legal content is too expensive”
- “I don´t want to pay for a movie that could be bad”
- “Why pay if I can also get it for free? Internet is a free of charge world”

Relativising impact of illegal content

- “What is one illegal download? Who is going to miss that money?”
- “Others do pay for online content, so I do not have to do it”
- “All these artists make enough money, they don’t need more”

Relativising of illegal character

- “If I only use the content myself, it is not illegal”
- “It is possible, so it is not really wrong”
- “I do not make money with it, so it is not illegal”

Relativising of their own behaviour

- “I only do it occasionally”
- “Everybody does it, it is normal”

JUSTIFICATIONS 
FOR USE OF 
ILLEGAL 
ONLINE CONTENT

Although many of the young people in the focus groups have heard about the concept 
of IP and also what it means in relation to the use of online content, their knowledge 
is rather limited. They are aware that if they access content from an illegal source, artists 
miss out on income. But they do not know how the remuneration system works: they 
have for example no idea about the YouTube monetisation procedures or about the 
Spotify revenue mechanism. Also, some of the participants believe that buying content 

- 27 -

Intellectual Property and Youthfrom legal sources generates more profit for distributors and middlemen than for artists. 

“I think that every time you watch a YouTube video or you listen to a song on 
Spotify, the artist gets some cents… but I’m not sure about how it works.” (Italy)

“It would be interesting to learn what the consequences of illegal downloading or  
buying knockoffs are. I believe this results in bad things, but still do not fully 
understand it. I am not entirely sure how it affects producers, entrepreneurs,  
musicians, writers.” (Latvia)

“Someone will always lose money ... but the authors won’t lose millions 
if I download something once.” (Luxembourg)

“They just know that a CD costs PLN 30, but an artist will get PLN 1 for it.” (Poland)

“People say you’re ripping off the artist but you’re not ripping off the artist you’re 
ripping off the (record) label.” (Ireland)

The consequences of accessing content via illegal sources are very abstract as the risk 
of getting caught and being penalised are practically non-existent.

“We know we could do it without any negative consequences, so we do it. 
If things change [e.g. there are sanctions], we won’t.” (Bulgaria)

This does not mean, however, that using digital content from illegal sources is considered 
as mainstream behaviour in all countries. In countries such as Finland and Germany, 
the use of digital content from legal sources is “the way to go”. In these countries, websites 
that offer digital content on a legal basis have been on the market longer. Besides their 
long-time integration, legal sources in these countries are not only numerous, they also 
provide a broad and recent offer. 
In poorer countries or countries with a struggling economy, it became clear in the focus 
groups that the use of illegal sources for digital content is basically the only option 
young people consider. Possibly due to low income and a lack of legal options, users 
are driven towards online sources that provide digital content offered for free.

“If I had to buy all the series I want to see, I would have to be a millionaire.” 
(Portugal)

- 28 -

    
 
“You do not see the stick, only the carrot.” (Poland)

“It is something you just do not do, it is against the law.” (Germany)

3.2.2 Identification of websites with content offered legally/illegally

When asked which websites provide content legally and which websites offer content 
illegally,  the  young  people,  to  a  certain  extent,  were  able  to  answer,  but  only  after 
having thought about it. In countries where illegally provided content is considered  
mainstream, the young people in the focus groups found it harder to distinguish websites 
offering content legally from websites offering content illegally. 

All in all, quite a few of the young people indicated that they are still unsure about 
what content or activity is legal or not.

“We are even unable to say what is legal and what is not, because this information is 
not given. It has not been regulated well enough, so we have doubts. Even if you want 
to think about that, you can never be sure if the thing you download is legal or not.” 
(Poland)

“You need to do a bit of fiddling to get onto the BBC IPlayer … so not sure what the 
legality of that is.” (Ireland)

Websites that only offer the possibility to stream are in general perceived as websites 
that offer digital content on a legal basis. Young people assume that as long as no 
content is downloaded, it is legal for the end user to watch, listen, play or read. 

“If I am not keeping it, then technically I am just borrowing it.” (UK)

Only some of the young people gave this more thought and evaluated sources such as 
YouTube for example. By looking at this kind of website, they realised that streaming 
websites can also provide content in an illegal way.

“There are grey areas, you can go onto YouTube to match something and YouTube 
isn’t an illegal website but somebody may have uploaded something illegally. You can 
also download from YouTube, I am not sure if that is legal.” (Ireland)

The boxes below present the aspects young people use to distinguish between websites 
providing digital content legally and websites offering digital content illegally:

- 29 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
    Payment required

    Advertisements before streaming 
content

    Streaming

    Good content quality

    Popular websites

    Media campaigns to promote 
the websites

    Rights are shown

    Messy, non-professional website 
design
    Lots of advertisements, banners 
and pop-ups

    Torrent software required

    Limited download speed and 
interruptions
    Up-to-date and broad content 
offer

Having to pay for digital content is a good indicator to distinguish legal from illegal 
sources.  However,  paying  for  downloading  digital  content  is  not  exclusive  to  legal 
sources. Some websites providing digital content on an illegal base will charge the user 
in return for faster download speed.

“When you pay for something it is legal.” (France)

As it is not always clearly stated, if the content offered by a website is rights-owned 
(most websites do not clearly mention if their content is legal or not), young people 
mainly distinguish legal from illegal sources on their layout and advertisements. A 
messy layout, less user-friendly se-tup and a lot of pop-ups indicate to them, it is an 
illegal source for digital content.

“When they are official sources, all that advertisement seldom appears.” (Portugal)

“If I search for something and a couple of windows pop-up with advertising, then I 
assume that the site isn’t totally legal.” (Austria)

“If you visit a website and other ten windows are shown up, I don’t think that the 
webpage is legal.” (Bulgaria)

Another criterion young people said for using a website is the “popularity of the website 
on Google”. If a website is in the top search results, young people assume that it is a 
website offering digital content on a legal basis. The same method is used to evaluate 
the safety of a website offering digital content. If a website does not show up in the 

- 30 -

 
top of the search results, they do not trust the website and they will access the content 
they want from other websites.

3.2.3 Journey map    

Overall,  the  search  process  for  online  content  starts  with  knowing  or  not  knowing 
what you are looking for. If you know, you go directly to a specific website. If not, 
Google or social media are used to find new digital content. Then, the journey map of 
young people differs depending on the category of digital content they are looking for.

A. Journey map for music, films and series

The search process for music, films or series is highly comparable. The search is often 
deliberate; young people already know what content they want. They also rely on a 
shortlist of specific sites they consult for online content. 

If young people do not specifically know what they are searching for, they either consult 

- 31 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFacebook or Shazam, or they use a search engine. For the latter, Google was the only 
search engine mentioned by the participants in the focus groups. When looking for a 
certain song, they insert for example a part of the lyrics and will use Google to find a 
source (URL) where they can access the song (either by streaming or downloading). The 
same method is used when searching for a specific film without knowing or remembering 
its title. By using keywords or the names of actors, for instance, Google will lead them 
to a source offering the film.

Young people said that they also used Google for a deliberate search process. In this 
case, participants reported they type in the title of the song or the film they want and 
add “download for free” or a similar description. 

Another option is that they enter the title of the song or the film they want to hear or 
see and add “YouTube” or the name of another website. They use Google in their search 
process as Google is considered reliable in providing the right websites matching their 
search.

YouTube is both used in a legal and an illegal way. Some young people only use it to 
stream; others also use add-blockers or download songs from YouTube via a convertor. 
While the converters themselves may not be illegal, the converting by the user and 
the storage of the converted file on the user’s device puts the individual in a liable 
situation.

Facebook also has a significant role in the search process of young people, who like to 
share music and films online with their friends and appreciate the references, feedback 
and suggestions of their friends. Sharing digital content in the peer group is very im-
portant for young people.

From the focus group sessions, it became clear that also in countries where the use of 
legal sources for digital content is more likely to be mainstream behaviour, websites 
providing content on an illegal basis are still used. However, these websites are only 
used as an alternative in case the other legal sources do not offer the desired content. 

“If I’m trying to find something obscure and it’s not on Netflix then I’ll look for it on 
an illegal site.” (UK)

- 32 -

B. Journey map for e-books

The  discussion  groups  in  the  EU28  showed  that  e-readers  are  not  commonly  used 
among young people. Only a few of the participants reported to have e-readers. 
In contrast to music, films or series, the 15-24 year olds mentioned more legal than 
illegal sources to stream or download books. Therefore, they are more likely to end up 
with e-books that are accessed or obtained legally.

I know 
what I want

E-BOOKS

I do not know 
what I want

I want 
to pay

Amazon, Google 
Academic Scribd, Easons

I don’t want 
to pay

Torrent, specific 
national websites

Google

Top search results

“You can get an eCopy of any book illegally but by Googling it.” (Ireland)

“I download books only the legal way. Swapping to a Kindle seems weird and it 
seems to take longer and I do not know how to download them on an illegal site 
so I just pay for them.” (UK)

Feedback from peers and reviews on websites are very important when buying e-books. 
As it is not possible to stream or download an e-book before buying it, young people 
are inclined to look for reviews and evaluations of others to avoid being disappointed 
in the purchase of a specific book.

C. Journey map for games

When it comes down to games, ‘legal’ seems to be the only option young people go for. 
The participants in the sessions indicated that in most cases they do not even consider 
illegal options for games and thus they know none or only a limited number of channels 
that offer game content illegally.
One reason for this is that online games are often multi-player games. When you do 
not obtain them legally, you cannot interact with other players.

- 33 -

Intellectual Property and Youth“I play massively multiplayer online games, only accessible through legal means, so 
illegality seems less relevant. You can create a private server on world of Warcraft 
which is illegal, but nobody does that because it is no fun.” (Ireland)

Another  reason  for  the  prevalence  of  legally  obtained  games  seems  to  be  the  large 
offer of smartphone games that are available for free via legal purchase channels (e.g. 
Samsung play stores). These games, such as Candy Crush for example, are popular they 
said because they are simple and easy to play, are used to pass time and are available 
for free.

Young people also explain their purchase of games as a long-term investment. Music 
and films, on the one hand, are “throw away” content, content that is constantly replaced 
by  new  content  because  one  gets  tired  of  them  quite  quickly.  Games,  on  the  other 
hand, are used over a much longer period of time. Therefore it makes more sense for 
gamers to spend money and buy the games legally.

But in addition to this, participants also indicated that it is not ‘mainstream’ to make 
use of illegal offers of games. As their peers do not do this, the participants are more 
likely not to do this either. 

To avoid the risk of spending money on a game they do not like, participants attach 
high value to feedback from peers and information and reviews on blogs or in online 
magazines about games. 

- 34 -

D. Journey map for sport events

In relation to sport events, young Europeans reported that these are only streamed, 
never downloaded, as the content is only viewed once.

“If you are watching a football match, you just want to stream it. It has no use after 
that.” (UK)

When looking for specific sport events, young people said they most often do not know 
where to find them on the internet. Therefore most of them use a search engine to facilitate 
their search for sport events. By doing this, they end up at sites they are not familiar 
with and so they are not sure if the content they are accessing is provided legally or 
not. But as they do not know any alternatives, they keep using their current channels.
To avoid shady websites containing potentially malicious software, they reported they 
only select sources from the top suggestions of the search engine. These top results are 
considered to be “safe” as it indicates, according to them, that many people have used 
them before.

I know what I want 
and/or where to find it

SPORT 
EVENTS

Specific
website

I stream

Barely any to no legal content available
Unclear if content is legal or not

Google

I stream

3.2.4 Drivers and barriers for online content offered legally/illegally

Although many young people said during the discussions that they do not care that 
much about whether the digital content is offered legally or not, they are able to point 
out  clear  strengths  and  weaknesses  of  websites  that  offer  content  legally  and  those 
that do not.

- 35 -

Intellectual Property and YouthILLEGAL
CONTENT

Strengths and weaknesses of websites that offer content illegally

    Free of charge

    Long download times

    Broad and recent offer

    No stable quality of sound/visuals

    No advertisements before content

    Less user-friendly

    Easy to access

    No registration required

- Messy look and website navigation
- Film/series downloaded in bits and 
pieces
- Episodes missing 
  Demands effort from user

    Streaming and downloading

    Risk: phishing, pop-ups, viruses

“I can see whatever I want online, if it is not very good, the loss is not great.”  
(Portugal)

Young people in the EU indicated that websites offering digital content illegally are 
considered to be free of charge and advertisement-free (meaning no advertisements 
before  being  able  to  access  the  content).  Both  appear  to  be  the  main  reasons  why 
young people choose these sources. But as well as that, the offer provided by these 
websites  is  also  a  main  driver:  illegal  sources  have  a  broader  and  more  up-to-date 
offer, so argued the participants involved in this study. 

They also mentioned that the main reason to stay away from websites that offer content 
illegally  would  be  the  risk  involved  using  these  sources.  The  risk  does  not  relate 
  to  being  caught  or  being  fined  but  to  viruses  and  phishing  files  causing  harm  to 
their  devices.  This  seems  to  suggest  that  young  Europeans  fear  potential  personal  
damage (viruses etc.) more than legislation. But in most countries even this risk does not  
outweigh the advantage of getting advertisement-free content without having to pay 
for it - while, for example, Spotify and YouTube offer legal content for free but push 
advertisements.

If these downsides of illegal sources did not drive young people to use legal alternatives, 
it  would  probably  be  the  lack  of  user-friendliness  of  the  websites  on  which  illegal 
offers can be found. Young Europeans said that they experience long download times 
frequently or that they are not able to download the film as one file (only in smaller 
pieces). Other problems they indicated: not being able to find the right subtitles, episodes 
of series that are missing. In the discussions it became clear that these elements annoy 
young people the most when using illegal sources. 

- 36 -

In relation to these downsides, the young people in the focus groups expressed their 
need  for  ease of use.  All-in-one  solutions  seem  to  be  preferred:  these  are  solutions 
where they can find both music, films and series (and to a lesser extent also e-books), 
where they can easily share content with friends, where they get suggestions for new 
content and which allow them to access content both at home and on the go. However, 
these needs are opposed to their desire to get digital content for free. 

This brings us to sources that offer digital content legally. The participants in the study 
reported that legal sources offer more ease of use: they are reliable, have fast download 
speed and sharing options. Downsides of the legal sources are, according to the participants, 
the costs and the limited offer they have. Their offer is also not up-to-date enough. Also, 
in a minority of the countries, no or too few legal alternatives are available (e.g. in 
Croatia, Bulgaria, Estonia). This is especially the case for films and series; for music, 
legal alternatives are most often available.

Strengths and weaknesses of websites that offer content legally

    Good sound and image quality

    Easy to use and navigate  

    Costs (or advertisements)

    Reliable

LEGAL
CONTENT

    Fast download speed

    Guaranteed content

    Can be free of charge (when 
accepting advertisements)

    Sharing options

    Sign-up required (privacy issues)

    Offer: lack of variety and recent 
content

    Availability

In  several  countries  privacy  issues  are  mentioned  by  the  participants.  Websites  that 
provide digital content legally tend to require registration, signing up or membership 
(e.g. Netflix) and not all young people have trust in what will be done with personal 
data. Especially in countries where illegal alternatives are favoured, this trust is low. 
This seems partially a justification for their choice of illegal channels but it also fits in 
a general reluctance to provide personal information online, as became clear during the 
discussions. Several participants noticed that information on their online behaviour and 
consumption of digital content via legal sources was sold as personalised advertisements, 
and this eventually occurred on their Facebook or other social network accounts.
Other  websites  offer  content  on  a  legal  basis  and  for  free,  but  in  return  the  consu-
mers have to watch/listen to advertisements before they can access the content. The  

- 37 -

Intellectual Property and Youthparticipants in the focus groups clearly indicated they weren’t keen on these advertisements, 
and ad blockers are commonly used: higher usage in countries that favour illegal sources 
and higher usage among the younger participants.

3.2.5 Further motivation to access online content offered legally

“I go for Netflix. Too many times I’ve had a movie crap out on me midway.” (Ireland)

“I used Torrent until Netflix and Google Play came along… It’s better service and it’s 
cheap enough to be able to pay for it. I care about convenience, quality and  
availability.” (Finland)

“I do not want to give up on quality.” (Netherlands)

“My laptop always gets viruses and the whole things goes do slow after I’ve watched 
something on an illegal site, so I just pay for things now.” (UK)

Young people perceive the lack of availability as a bigger issue than the price they 
may have to pay for legal offers. Only in countries with a broad and varied legal offer 
embedded in the download/streaming landscape legal options are really considered, 
and their usage is high. 
In countries with a high usage of legal sources, legally offered content is considered 
“standard”. Participants in these countries said that all their friends and relatives use 
legal sources, and so do they. In the other countries, legal sources are not considered 
by participants since their friends or family members don’t use them either.

- 38 -

Table 1 Countries where either legal or illegal sources are considered to be ‘standard’ – qualitative research

Country

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Legal or illegal sources 
considered to be 
‘standard’

Legal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Legal

Illegal

Legal

Illegal

Legal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Country

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

Legal or illegal sources 
considered to be 
‘standard’

Legal and illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

Legal

Illegal

Young  people  tend  to  consider  sources  for  digital  content  for  different  reasons:  they 
know about these channels via their friends, these channels are amongst the top results 
in a search engine and/or they hear about these channels via mass communication. 
To promote legal offers, it therefore appears important that these sources become part 
of the communication amongst friends or within peer groups, and that these sources 
show up in the top search results and that they are highly visible in mass media.

Of course a reasonable price for the use of digital content is very important. Prices for 
legally available content are not always considered to be too high by young people, 
but if they have to combine several subscriptions to have a vast and up-to-date offer, 
the cost for legally available content becomes high, they say. To avoid high cost and 
multiple memberships, young people turn to digital content that is offered illegally. 
However,  this  does  not  simply  imply  that  lowering  the  price  for  legally  obtainable 
content will make more young people choose legal sources, not while they have a free 
alternative via illegal sources. 

- 39 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
“Even if it cost only 2€, I am not sure we would go for it if there is also a free  
alternative. Even a really drastic price reduction would not have any impact if the 
same quality is available for free. For the time being, and for as long as the system 
continues to function well, there is no reason for me to stop.” (France)

To stimulate the use of legally provided content, the focus group outcomes suggest 
that it may be more effective to emphasise the ease of use on websites offering content 
on a legal basis, rather than focussing solely on price. It became very clear during the  
discussion  sessions  that  the  convenience  offered  by  legal  sources  compared  to  the 
clumsy and chaotic illegal sources can convince heavy users to choose the legal alternative.

DRIVERS FOR LEGAL CONTENT

    Ensure availability

    Present it as normal/mainstream
- Word of Mouth among friends
- Mass media communication 
about legal websites

 Lower 
prices

    Provide added value: extreme 
convenience

- No advertisements
- Fast download speed
- All-in-one (music, series, films)
- Download directly to smartphone
- Easy sharing with friends
- Executive summaries of films
- Content also accessible offline

3.3 Online purchase of physical goods

3.3.1 Attitude towards online purchase of physical goods

Young Europeans said in the EU focus groups that they only occasionally purchase 
physical goods online. The products they purchase the most online are:

FASHION/
CLOTHING
Incl. footwear and 
accessories: bags, 
jewellery, watches

BOOKS
Incl. hard copies

SPORTSWEAR 
and SPORTS 
EQUIPMENT
Incl. boxing gloves, 
football boots

SMALL 
ELECTRONIC 
DEVICES 
and ACCESSORIES

TICKETS
E.g. public transport, 
air travel, concerts, 
theatre

- 40 -

 
• The number one category of products purchased online is fashion, comprising 

clothing, footwear and accessories such as handbags, watches, and jewellery.

• Second, is books (hard copies). 

•  Third,  is  sportswear  and  sports  equipment,  comprising  football  shirts  and 

boots as well as equipment such as boxing gloves and surfboards. 

•  A  fourth,  is  small  electronic  devices  and  accessories.  Small  electronic  devices 
are  mobile  phones,  tablets,  laptops,  audio  and  video  equipment  and  headphones.  
Accessories are smartphone covers, rechargers, USB sticks, earphones, etc. 

• A final category of products that young people report to purchase online is 
the  category  of  tickets.  Such  tickets  concern  public  transportation  (bus,  metro,  and 
tram), air travel tickets and tickets for events such as theatre and concerts.

Other product categories mentioned by young people, yet less frequently, are: games, 
DVDs and CDs; pet products and accessories; cosmetics, make-up and perfume; car, 
bike and motorcycle equipment and accessories; subscriptions to magazines; food and 
wine; musical instruments.
Based on the group sessions the main drivers for young people to purchase products 
online can be identified as:

    Saving time and effort:
no transportation, no queues

    Products can be found 
cheaper online than in-store

    Larger assortment of 
products online than in-store

    Anytime, anywhere

• The first main reason for shopping online instead of offline is convenience. 
Shoppers save time and effort through online shopping, avoiding transportation time 
and costs and queuing. Furthermore, online shopping is not restricted to a particular 
place and time: participants can fit it into their schedule as they like.

• To be able to find products for a cheaper price is a second main reason for 
young people to resort to online shopping. Young people associate online shopping 
with better prices for the same products that can be found in-store; the internet (e.g. 

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Google Shopping) also allows quick price comparison of different online stores and 
picking the one offering the best deal. 

• Finally, young people resort to online shopping when they feel that online 
shops offer a larger choice of products than brick and mortar stores or when a brand 
they like is not sold in-store in their country.

Nevertheless,  young  people  in  the  focus  groups  displayed  a  very  careful  attitude  
regarding the online purchase of physical goods. When considering an online purchase, 
they are very careful regarding the type of website where they place the order. They 
have  a  basic degree of distrust  regarding  online  purchases;  their  main concerns  or 
the main barriers vis-à-vis online shopping are uncertainty regarding the quality of 
the  goods,  uncertainty  regarding  the  security  of  online  payments,  and  uncertainty  
regarding correct and timely delivery. They are aware the risk of having their accounts 
abused and potentially losing large amounts of money. 

Will my order be delivered, 
will it be delivered on time/intact, 
and will the correct product be 
delivered?

Is this a product of good quality?

Is this a secure payment method?

What young people seem to lack at this point is reassurance regarding the safety of 
online shopping.  Since  they  cannot  touch  the  product  they  want  to  purchase,  they 
have difficulty assessing the quality of the product. Again young people are aware of 
the risks associated with the delivery of the goods when buying online and believe 
there is always a risk of the product not being delivered or of incorrect and untimely 
deliveries.

“When buying something I prefer to go to the shop to try it, see it, to see how 
it looks on me.” (Cyprus)

“It’s dodgier than just watching something in a shop. You’re spending money 
on something which could be potentially awful.” (UK)

“A friend of mine said she would never buy shoes or purses online, even for instance 
from Berschka or Stradivarius, because she noticed that products offered at regular 
stores are of far higher quality than those sold online.” (Poland)

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Each time they buy a product online young people feel that they risk safety problems 
(e.g. hacking of bank accounts) or may become the victim of fraud (e.g. not receiving 
the product, not receiving the correct product). The shopping journey outlined below 
shows how young people go about the shopping journey to avoid the potential problems.

3.3.2 Journey map for online purchases of physical goods

As  mentioned  above,  young  people  in  Europe  appear  to  act  very  carefully  when  
purchasing goods online. The purchase journey below shows that the way in which 
young people start a purchase journey slightly differs depending on how well they 
know what they are looking for; but in most cases their journey results in purchasing 
goods in a webshop that they know and are familiar with. Should they encounter a 
website they do not know, they report to consciously look for signs that it is reliable. 
The scheme below pictures the purchase journeys as they were outlined in the focus 
groups. 

Those  young  people  who  know  exactly  which  brand  they  would  like  to  purchase 
often start their purchase journey on the official brand website. They are drawn to 

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Intellectual Property and Youththese websites in two ways: they either enter the brand name in Google to find the 
official site or directly type the official brand website’s URL in the browser address bar.  
Examples  of  brands  that  were  frequently  mentioned  in  the  focus  groups  are  Zara,  
Chanel, Michael Kors (for handbags), Swatch, Festina and Casio (for watches).

On the official brand website, they browse the catalogue for the different products on 
offer  and  choose  a  product  based  on  the  product’s  attractiveness.  The  price  is  only 
considered  after  having  chosen  a  product  on  its  likeability.  In  the  next  phase,  the  
focus of the search is the price. In rare cases, the price of the chosen product offered 
by the brand website is believed to be good and young people proceed to check-out and  
purchase. In most cases, the price is considered too high as young people said they  
believe that they will be able to find the product for a better price at an alternative  
online store. To look for a better deal for the same product, they, for example, write 
down the product’s reference number and enter this exact number in Google. Among 
the  search  results,  they  pick  the  sites  of  well-known  webshops  (e.g.  Zalando,  Amazon, 
Sports  Direct  or  more  local  webshops  such  as  asos.com  for  the  UK  and  Ireland,  
e-clothes.gr for Greece, hodinky.sk for Slovakia and madosguru.lt for Lithuania) and 
compare the price for the product on each of those websites. From this point the price 
determines the webshop they will use to purchase the chosen product. As price is an 
important determinant in the choice, it may also be the initiator for suspicion. Products 
offered on alternative webshops at a very cheap price, significantly lower than the price 
on well-known sites and not consistent with the brand’s reputation, are considered as 
suspicious. In those cases, young people said, they look for a balance between price 
and reliability/credibility.

Young people who do not have a specific brand in mind start their purchase journey on 
Google. For young people, Google is clearly the prime option among all search engines; 
no other search engines were mentioned in the focus groups. Some young people do 
use specific applications like Google Shopping to organise their search. Again, young 
people proceed their purchase journey in two ways. Some will enter a description of 
the product that they want to find in the Google search bar. They use very general 
terms such as ‘watch’ or enter more specific descriptions, e.g. ‘golden watch’ or ‘leather 
bag’. Among the Google search results, they are most likely to pick the website of a 
well-known web shop like Amazon, Zalando and eBay or local variants of webshops. 
A minority browse webshops they are not familiar with or do not even know. Some 
young people use the advertisements shown on their screen as a result from the Google 
search to continue their journey, opposed to other young people who indicate that they 
consciously avoid sponsored search results. 

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Those who enter the name of a well-known webshop in Google often choose shops 
such  as  Zalando,  Amazon,  eBay  or  a  local  webshop.  A  minority  browse  the  online  
catalogue  of  stores  that  also  have  a  physical  high-street  retail  presence  (e.g.  Zara, 
Mango, Media Markt).

From here on, the purchase journey of young people looks very similar. When they 
are in the webshop, they browse the catalogue for the relevant product category and 
start their comparison of products based on product pictures on the one hand and pri-
ces on the other hand. After a first brief look at the variety of available products and 
the corresponding prices, those who pick a webshop they are not familiar with start a 
reliability check for the webshop. As mentioned earlier, young people have three major 
concerns for which they check: 1) the quality of the products on offer, 2) the security 
of payment method, and 3) the security of correct delivery. Also when evaluating a 
webshop  on  reliability,  young  people  rely  on  signs  to  decide  whether  a  webshop  is 
reliable or not.

If  they  do  not  trust  a  particular  website  after  having  checked  the  above  website  
characteristics,  they  go  back  to  the  Google  search  results  to  continue  the  search.  If 
uncertain about the reliability of the webshop, they may look at different webshops 
before making a final decision. When they have found a product that they think is of 
good quality and is on offer at a good (but credible) price, they proceed to purchase.

Overall,  young  people  were  observed  to  easily  find  their  way  throughout  the  different 
steps in the purchase journey, although there is a difference between those who have 
previous  experience  with  online  purchases  and  those  who  have  little  or  no  experience. 
The  experienced  group  is  more  likely  to  start  the  purchase  journey  on  a  particular 
webshop  or  website  while  the  less  experienced  group  is  more  likely  to  start  their  

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Intellectual Property and Youthpurchase journey by typing keywords or a product description in Google. But neither has  
difficulty navigating the Google search results, finding a webshop or navigating brand 
and webshop catalogues. However, they do feel somewhat unsure when it comes to 
deciding whether a webshop can be trusted (when guarantees are provided regarding 
product quality, payment security and delivery). Therefore, they then decide to purchase 
through a well-known webshop.
Very few young people considered buying counterfeit products during the shopping 
exercise in the focus group sessions. Most were very cautiously avoided the purchase 
of counterfeit products. They reported accordingly that they do not know where to 
find counterfeit products. When asked how they would search for fake products they 
did not really have a procedure in their toolbox to start looking for these products.  
During the focus groups some participants suggested to add the term ‘fake’ to the product 
name in the search engine when looking for counterfeit products. 

The differences between the purchase journey of buying a product for oneself or for 
others (such as during the shopping exercise) are as follows: 

•  In  some  countries,  there  is  a  tendency  for  young  people  to  purchase  a  
counterfeit  product  for  oneself  rather  than  for  someone  else  as  a  present  needs  to 
have some standing. On the contrary, in other countries young people would say just 
the opposite. They would rather buy a counterfeit product for someone else than for  
themselves, especially if the ‘someone else’ is a middle-aged person, like their parents. 
In  this  case,  they  are  not  too  concerned  about  whether  they  purchase  an  original  
product or a counterfeit as their mother or father would most likely not notice if it was 
a counterfeit product, so they said. However, it is important to remember that in most 
countries, young people would not consider purchasing a counterfeit product whether 
it is for themselves or for someone else.

• When purchasing an item for themselves young people usually have a more 
clear  idea  in  mind  of  what  they  are  looking  for  (e.g.  they  have  a  specific  brand  in 
mind). Hence, the start of their purchase journey is often more directed.

• When purchasing an item for themselves, young people are likely to check 
more websites and to compare more items before proceeding to a purchase. In other 
words, the purchase process is somewhat simplified when buying for another person 
than when buying for oneself.

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3.3.3 Attitudes towards online purchase of counterfeit goods

Young people seem to have a very clear attitude towards the purchase of counterfeit 
goods. In most countries, they consciously avoided purchasing counterfeit products, 
both online and offline. Reasons are twofold.
Firstly, young people expect the quality of counterfeit products to be inferior to the 
quality of genuine products. Following on from this perception, they do not want to 
take the risk of purchasing a product that might not work or might break down very 
fast. They indicated that they are looking for good-quality products in order to protect 
themselves from the harm of spending money on an item that has a very short lifespan, 
or from purchasing a product that might be hazardous for health or safety. It has thus 
become clear that young people make a difference between physical goods and online 
content. Whether or not the digital content is downloaded in a legal or illegal manner, 
the content is most likely exactly the same. Yet, when it comes to physical goods, the 
quality difference between genuine goods and counterfeit goods may be substantial. 
At the same time no real personal risks are perceived when downloading or accessing 
digital content from an illegal source. As for physical goods, young people do perceive 
an actual (financial) risk or harm when purchasing these products.

“Why buy fake products? You know you will get something bad, you won’t get good 
quality.” (Sweden)

Secondly,  young  people  explained  that  they  are  concerned  about  their  image.  They 
want  their  belongings to fit their  socio-economic status.  They  would  feel  ashamed 
if friends found out that the watch they wear or the electronic equipment they use is 
counterfeit. Their personal image is the second main reason not to purchase counterfeit 
products.

“I think it’s really rare that you’ll buy something fake and you can’t 
tell the difference.’ (UK)

“Suddenly there is no ‘t’ in the Lacoste name, or the crocodile looks into a different 
direction, does not have teeth, and then I start suspecting something.” (Poland) 

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Intellectual Property and Youth    Quality concerns

• Counterfeit products = inferior quality
         - Risk in terms of lifespan of the product, safety (e.g. health hazards)
        - It makes no sense to spend money on something one knows is of 
inferior quality
• Only worth it if low risk involved

    Personal image concerns

• Wearing or using counterfeit products (esp. clothing and electronics) leads 
to inferior image of self

REASONS FOR 
REJECTION OF
COUNTERFEIT
PRODUCTS

The only exception to the above are purchases involving a small amount of money. In 
such cases, some young people indicated to be willing to risk ending up with a fake 
product with a (potentially) short lifespan.
In  general,  young  people  do  not  think  that  purchasing  counterfeit  products  equals 
a smart purchase, nor do they associate the purchase of counterfeit goods with any 
form of protest against major brands or the market economy. The main driver for the 
minority of young people in Europe who sometimes consciously purchase counterfeit  
products is the desire to save money. If they do, they mainly purchase counterfeit mun-
dane/everyday clothes and (sports) accessories and non-durable, low-value items that 
are easily replaceable (e.g. smartphone cases, earphones). In this case, the perceived 
personal risk is small, especially when products are shipped free of charge. Some young 
people mentioned that they would be tempted to purchase counterfeit goods when there 
is a significant price difference between the original and the counterfeit product and the 
counterfeit appears satisfactory in terms of quality and resemblance to the original. 
Young people are a lot less likely to consider a counterfeit product for expensive products 
such as electronic devices. 

Those who had an experience with counterfeit goods bought online were well aware 
that they were not buying genuine products at the time they ordered them.

“I only paid half the price. It just did not have the symbol on it.” (Cyprus)

“It’s not that I went out to buy fakes. It just so happened that the fakes 
were the cheapest.” (Ireland)

“I do not know if it was a fake website but it was so much cheaper than other sites. 
It had a really amateurish layout too, but I bought the necklace and received
 it and it was fine.” (UK)

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There  seems  to  be  a  slight  difference  between  the  online  and  offline  purchase  of 
counterfeit  goods.  Some  of  the  young  people  who  rejected  the  online  purchase  of 
counterfeit goods would consider purchasing or have already purchased a counterfeit 
product on holiday if they accidentally came across it at a local market. If they are 
able to touch and assess the product on the spot, they might be tempted to buy it. But 
there does not seem to be a widespread habit of purchasing counterfeit products, both 
online and offline.

3.3.4 Awareness of channels for online purchase of counterfeit products

There is a low awareness among young people about webshops that sell counterfeit 
products. Because of their attitude towards counterfeit goods, many young people said 
they have never used or looked for one of these shops, and most of them could not 
spontaneously name one.

Since young people are very careful about where they carry out online purchases, very 
few of them have had an experience with receiving a counterfeit product when they 
thought they had purchased an original one. Some young people have had various  
negative experiences with buying products online. The negative experiences include  
the  purchase  of  mobile  phones  or  clothes  that  were  never  received  or  receiving  
sub-standard  products.  In  rare  cases  young  people  were  even  involved  in  a  lawsuit 
against a seller.

“I have ordered stuff online before and it looks nice, then you get it and the material 
isn’t what was described, the stitching isn’t great.” (UK)

“My mum bought something online and it wasn’t the real website and it never arrived 
but they still took her money so because of that I just avoid anything that looks fake. 
I do not like losing my money.” (UK)

“Once I bought an Adidas jumper that seemed original, everything was just right, the 
tag was original. And then about 2 years after the purchase the police came to me 
and I was called to testify. I was a bit nervous on my way to the police station, and 
they told me that I was the aggrieved party and that there was a lawsuit against the 
seller, because several hundred people were also taken in.” (Poland)

Young  people  would  experience  feelings  of  disappointment  and  regret  the  waste 
of money  if  they  found  out  that  a  product  thought  to  be  original  turned  out  to  be 

- 49 -

Intellectual Property and Youthan  imitation.  If  this  happened,  they  said  they  would  take  action  by  contacting  the  
webshop or by returning the item in order to receive a reimbursement. This also explains 
why the availability of contact details on the website is very important for young people. 
Websites or webshops without concrete contact details appear suspicious and are not 
worth the risk. Most of the young people who had a negative experience of this kind 
filed  a  complaint  and  were  eventually  refunded  by  the  respective  webshop.  Yet,  in 
other cases, the webshop had been shut down by the time they were able to take action.

3.3.5 Identification of websites selling counterfeit products

Young people indicated during the focus groups that they want to consciously decide 
whether to buy a counterfeit product or not, and they find it very important to be able 
to distinguish websites that sell counterfeit products from websites that sell originals. 
Nevertheless, they find it very hard to distinguish websites that sell counterfeit products 
from websites that sell original products. They have the impression that the difference 
is sometimes very subtle. Clues which they currently use to distinguish these websites 
are as follows:

WEBSITES SELLING ORIGINAL PRODUCTS

    Manufacturer’s site

    Established online shops

    Lock icon in URL

    Logos/icons (e.g. consumer 
protection organisation’s logo, PayPal 
logo)

    References to physical store

    Company data (e.g. owner 
information, Trade Register 
identification)

Young people screen websites 
they do not yet know 
very thoroughly before 
considering a purchase

    Very low prices (“too good to 
be true”)
    Little product information

    Lots of advertisements, banners and 
pop-ups on the website
    Messy, non-professional website 
design
    Vague delivery terms

    No costumer reviews

    No helpdesk/after-sales service

    Unclear return and refund policies

    No contact information

    No company information

    Translation errors

    Goods originating from China, 
Hong Kong, etc.

Initial clues of whether a website sells original products are found in the overall look 
of a website: an unprofessional design, the use of odd or clashing colour palettes, the 

- 50 -

presence of advertisements and translation errors are red flags. However, the look of 
the site is not considered sufficient enough to decide whether a site sells genuine or 
counterfeit products.  To  be  sure,  the  sites  have  to  be  more  thoroughly  investigated. 
In  this  phase,  the  key  characteristics  in  distinguishing  webshops  selling  counterfeit 
products are the prices, payment methods, return and refund policies, the absence or 
presence of contact information/an after-sales service, and the clarity of delivery terms 
and  conditions.  Furthermore,  computer  protection  programs  may  warn  users  when 
they are accessing a non-trusted website, and young people search online forums for 
customer reviews on webshops they are not familiar with.

“If it is too cheap to be true, it is too cheap to be true.” (Sweden)

“I usually do trust sites with PayPal because if you do not receive the product, 
you can get a refund.” (UK)

“If you find a site offering a product much cheaper than expected, it might be a scam, 
so you might go to a forum to check it out.” (UK)

However, young people ask for more guidance in the process of identifying websites 
selling counterfeit goods, as the section on communication further on in this report 
shows. 

Young people’s opinions on the subject of websites selling counterfeit products seem 
to be dual. On the one hand, young people showed during the discussion sessions a 
rather  indifferent  attitude  towards  other  people’s  purchase  of  counterfeit  products, 
saying that they do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods. On the other 
hand, they said they have a problem with websites that do not clearly indicate that 
they are selling counterfeit products: such webshops try to cheat people by deceiving 
buyers into purchasing a counterfeit product instead of an original one, putting them 
at risk in the process.

 “As long as you know what you are purchasing, I have no opinion.” (Sweden)

“They’re just doing the same thing as the big brands, but worse.” (Ireland)

3.3.6 Identification of counterfeit products in webshops

Despite  exploring  websites  for  clues,  young  people  reported  that  they  do  not  feel 

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Intellectual Property and Youthconfident about their ability to identify non-original products. They might be able to 
unmask  shady  websites  or  shops,  but  they  find  it  extremely difficult  to  distinguish 
original products from counterfeit products in an online shop. They can only rely on 
product pictures and prices, which are not compelling enough to tell whether a product 
is genuine or counterfeit. Therefore, they indicated, they mainly rely on the same clues 
they use to assess whether a website is trustworthy or not. They generally feel that 
if a website passes the criteria set out above (e.g. it offers secure payment methods, 
it has a clear return and refund policy, it is clear on delivery terms and conditions, it 
publishes contact information and offers an after-sales service), the products offered 
are originals.

Original vs.
counterfeit?

SEEKING REASSURANCE IN:

Assessment of the 
webshop

The participants in the focus groups also mentioned an exception to this rule of thumb: 
webshops  like  eBay,  which  are  websites  where  individuals  sell  products.  Although 
eBay itself is considered a reliable site, they indicated that they do not assume that 
all products sold on eBay are original, as they do on other webshops such as ASOS, 
Amazon or Zalando.

“I would only use eBay for stuff I’m willing to accept a fake of.” (Ireland)

“I’ll spend whatever I want on ASOS because I know it’s trusted.” (UK)

3.4 Communication regarding piracy and 
counterfeiting 

3.4.1 Familiarity with and attitude towards the IP notion

In general, young people in the focus groups were not able to define the term IP, with many 
of them indicating that they are not familiar at all with the term. The key components 
young people mentioned to define IP are:

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PROPERTY, BUT NOT 
PHYSICAL PROPERTY

PROPERTY CANNOT BE 
REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE 
AUTHOR’S CONSENT

Associations mainly with:
- Music and films
- Academic work (plagiarism)

If reproduced without the 
author’s consent, the author is 
not recompensed for their work

Firstly, they indicated that the property in question is not like physical property. The 
types  of  property  they  spontaneously  associated  the  term  with  are  films  and  music 
on the one hand (e.g. using Torrent, recording in the cinema, buying bootleg DVDs) 
and academic work on the other hand. It is no coincidence these are topics that really  
matter  to  young  people.  Secondly,  they  mentioned  that  the  property  cannot  be  
reproduced without the author giving permission to do so and that those wishing to 
copy it should pay a fee to the author.

“It means that a piece of art like a song or a movie belongs to the artist who created 
it and that they have to pay to use it.” (Greece)

“The content of a website is intellectual property and you are not allowed to take over 
elements of the content on a website without mentioning the source.” (Romania)

“A thought or idea that you do not want someone else to take credit for.” (UK) 

Although not many young people in the focus groups were able to define IP, those who 
did define it correctly demonstrated that it is possible to communicate the concept of 
IP to young people. However, many said that they have never seen any communication 
on the subject.

Furthermore, the focus group sessions showed that young people’s attitude towards 
IP depends very much on the type of property under consideration. So for example, 
they tend not to think of the unauthorised reproduction of music and films as a problem, 
pointing  out  that  the  producers  of  music  and  films  are  wealthy  stars  or  studios 
that  are  not  particularly  harmed  by  the  loss  of  income  resulting  from  unauthorised  
reproduction  of  their  work.  They  seem  to  disapprove  much  more  the  unauthorised  
reproduction of academic work. With many of the participants in the study being students  
themselves, they reported feeling personally involved and could imagine better what 
the consequences of plagiarism, as they call it, would be if it concerned their own IP.

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Intellectual Property and YouthMUSIC AND FILMS

ACADEMIC WORK

3.4.2 Awareness of current communication on IP

All in all, young people in the focus groups indicated not to actively search for information  
on IP and feel badly informed on the subject. There is also a lack of  awareness of  
communication  on  the  subject.  Many  of  the  participants  could  not  recall  having  
encountered any communication on IP. This was especially the case in, for example,  
Germany,  the  Netherlands,  Greece,  Lithuania,  Croatia,  Bulgaria  and  Hungary.  The  
participants that did remember communication on the subject of IP recalled six types of 
communication channels:

TELEVISION

THE INTERNET/
SOCIAL MEDIA

SCHOOL

ONLINE MUSIC 
SERVICES

DVDs

ANTI-PIRACY 
UNIONS

• Television is a first channel of information for young people. The participants 
referred,  first,  to  consumer  awareness  programmes  giving  very  straightforward  and 
factual information on labelling or websites that should not be trusted. They also mentioned 
government campaigns on piracy they had seen on television.

• The internet, with social media in particular, is another important source of 
information, where consumers share their experience with online purchases, especially 
negative experiences. In the focus groups, news on the closing of illegal websites – 
spread on different social media – was recalled.

•  The  participants  also  referred  to  school  as  a  source  of  information.  Some  
remembered a police officer visiting their school to provide information on the subject 
during class. Some remembered a university class on the subject.

• Next, they recalled anti-piracy messages displayed by online music services 
(YouTube and Spotify in particular) and on DVDs (the message stating “You wouldn’t 
steal a car…” is very well known).

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• A few respondents referred to national anti-piracy unions (e.g. the Protective 

Union of Authors in the Czech Republic).

“Once I tried to download a song and an announcement appeared on the screen, in 
which details were stated about the copyright of the song, explaining that it is  
forbidden to copy and publish it.” (Cyprus)

As the list above shows, young people mainly recall information regarding the illegal 
downloading  of  online  content.  Information  regarding  the  purchase  of  counterfeit 
goods is much less present in their mind.

The relevance and usefulness of the information provided through the above channels 
is considered low. Reasons that were given are the actual content of the information, 
which is not sufficiently relevant and close enough to young people’s lives, and the 
tone of voice of the information.

Current information on 
downloading online content...

Current information on online 
purchases...

Uses an accusing, patronising 
tone of voice

Does not sufficiently guide young 
people in their choice of webshop

REJECTED

INSUFFICIENT

During the discussion sessions it was explained that information regarding the illegal 
download of online content uses a tone of voice that arouses resistance. Firstly, they 
do not feel being affected by the message that artists lose a lot of money due to illegal 
downloads because the way the artists act tells them that those artists do not really 
need the money. They are bored with this message and are turned off by the preachy 
tone of the message.

Secondly,  they  reject  the  comparison  of  illegal  downloading  behaviour  with  theft, 
which is what happens in the well-known message shown on DVDs (“You wouldn’t 
steal  a  car…”).  The  young  people  said  they  do  not  consider  the  comparison  as  fair; 
they  do  not  feel  like  they  are  stealing  when  they  are  downloading  online  content 
from illegal sources. To them, stealing a car or a purse is very different from illegally 
downloading a film or making a copy of a DVD. The patronising tone of voice in the 

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
message and the fact that it portrays people downloading online content from illegal 
sources as offenders once again turns them off.

“It’s not fair when superrich people complain about penniless children 
downloading their music.” (Finland)

“I’m not a thief!” (Italy)

As said, young people have the impression that there is little information available 
regarding  the  purchase  of  counterfeit  goods.  Some  recalled  information  given  in  a 
consumer awareness programme on television, which was highly appreciated because 
of its factual nature, helping people to identify illegal websites or webshops that are 
known to sell counterfeit goods.

3.4.3 Desired communication regarding IP

A. Preferred message

From  the  focus  groups  it  became  clear  that  young  Europeans’  attitudes  towards  
downloading online content illegally differ from their attitudes towards the online 
purchase  of  counterfeit  goods.  Whereas  illegally  downloading  online  content  is  
widespread  and  considered  acceptable,  only  a  minority  consciously  engage  in  the 
online purchase of counterfeit goods. This observation suggests that communication 
on the topics needs to focus on different aspects. While communication on illegally 
downloading online content may need to focus on raising young people’s awareness 
concerning the consequences of their behaviour, communication on the online purchase 
of  counterfeit  goods  should  instead  put  emphasis  on  assisting  them  in  their  online  
purchase journeys.

- 56 -

Desired information on 
downloading online content

Desired information on 
online purchases

What impact does illegal
 downloading have on me?

How can I tell if a webshop is legal 
and can be trusted?

In terms of IP, what is allowed 
and what is not?

How can I tell if a product offered 
online is an original or counterfeit?

Is there a site where I can check if 
a webshop is legal?

Where can I download in a legal 
manner but not pay too much?

What are the sanctions associated 
with illegal downloading?

Real-life stories of people who have suffered as a consequence of people 
illegally downloading their material or as a consequence of the purchase of 
counterfeit goods 

Communication regarding downloading online content illegally seems to be the biggest  
challenge  because  of  the  need  to  raise  awareness  amongst  young  people.  Young  
Europeans tend to consider downloading and streaming of online content on an illegal 
basis as acceptable behaviour and to be desensitised to the dangers and consequences. 
As a result, communication should focus on raising young people’s awareness of the 
self-evident nature of their behaviour to bring them to question their behaviour.

Young people seem to be open to this type of information, on the condition that such 
information avoids the accusing tone of voice that characterises current anti-piracy 
messages. Neutral information that enables them to form their own opinion on the 
matter  is  welcomed;  moralising  messages  that  tell  them  that  illegal  downloading  is 
wrong raise resistance, so the focus groups indicated.

“Being told not to do it adds a sense of rebellion to it.” (Ireland)

“We just do not know if we are breaking the law by downloading one song, or when 
we watch a movie or a series without sharing the content.” (Poland)

“I went to see a movie with this famous actor, and before the movie his face was 
displayed and he said ‘Thank you for watching this movie in cinema, and not from 
illegal sources”, and that was it. So nobody is criticising you, you just feel that it is 
good that you watch the film in a movie theatre”. (Poland)

- 57 -

Intellectual Property and Youth“Not in an annoying way like interrupting me doing something online.” (Ireland) 

The types of information that young people may require are as follows:

• What is IP? What is allowed and what is not allowed? (country-specific)
• What is the impact of a breach of IP rights?

– What is the impact on the author?
– What could be the impact on me? (all types of risk, incl. risk of legal 
sanctions)

• What can I do to respect IP rights, taking into account my limited budget/
willingness to pay? Where can I download online content in a legal manner but still 
not pay too much?

The young people in the study also expressed their preference for concrete and factual 
information. They do not plainly reject messages telling them that authors miss out 
on royalties because of illegal downloads, but prefer that such information to be very  
detailed. They want to get a good idea of how big exactly the impact of illegal downloading 
is. Currently, they do not know the creative process, who is involved in that process 
and what the monetary impact on these people is exactly.

Finally,  the  notion  of  safety  seems  to  be  crucial  in  the  communication.  Informing 
young people that accessing legally available content means accessing content in a 
safe manner with no, or strongly reduced, risks of viruses or malware could open them 
up to acquiring content in a legal manner.

Information  needs  regarding  the online purchase of counterfeit goods  appear  more 
straightforward. Communication does not need to focus on young people’s motivations 
to buy counterfeit products as the majority already avoid the purchase of counterfeit 
goods. The young people involved in the study said that they are especially looking for 
information that can help them make more informed choices during the online purchase 
process; they are in search of certainty and guarantees that they are purchasing an 
original product. They said they prefer straightforward and factual information that 
tells them which websites are known to sell counterfeit goods, which webshops are to 
be avoided and which ones to be trusted, which payment methods are to be avoided 
and which ones are safe. This information can assist young people in making the right 
choice among the many webshops available. It helps them to avoid the many potential 
pitfalls associated with online shopping.

- 58 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
B. Preferred channels/ambassadors

The  channels  that  young  people  in  the  study  indicated  as  most  appropriate  for  
informing them on IP are:

LOCAL ARTISTS,
EMERGING 
ARTISTS

THE INTERNET/
SOCIAL MEDIA

TELEVISION

SCHOOL

FELLOW CITIZENS 
with NEGATIVE 
EXPERIENCES

A  first  type  of  ambassadors  the  participants  mentioned  as  suitable  for  IP-related  
communication would be local, emerging artists (e.g. upcoming local bands and designers). 
Celebrities such as established musicians/artists are not considered credible for promoting 
these messages. Their wealth and status reduce their value of aggrieved party. Young 
people said that they can imagine that their behaviour would have much more of an 
impact on emerging artists who are struggling to make a living out of their work; they 
also indicated that they would be inclined to reflect on the topic and their own online 
habits if they were informed by upcoming artists themselves about the impact of illegal 
downloading or the purchase of counterfeit products. 

“It would be difficult to find someone who didn’t come across like they were doing it 
just for their own benefit.” (Ireland)

“With celebrities you know they’re getting paid to promote something.” (UK)

In  a  similar  way,  a  second type of ambassadors  could  be  fellow citizens who have  
suffered from the impact of counterfeiting or illegal downloads: real consumers, people 
that young people can relate to because they are much closer to them in terms of lifestyle 
and status than celebrities or artists. Highlighting the real-life experiences of people 
who lost their job as a consequence of counterfeiting and illegal downloads or of parents 
of children who got hurt by a counterfeit toy can make young people realise how those 
who offer content illegally or who sell counterfeit goods endanger consumers’ lives.

“I think that makes it a lot more real.” (Ireland)

Schools can be a third channel to inform young people about IP-related matters. The 
participants in the focus groups indicated that they would prefer an open, interactive 

- 59 -

Intellectual Property and Youthclass  discussion  on  the  subject  introduced  by  an  expert,  or  local  artists  or  fellow  
citizens with a negative experience. Their opinions may be challenged by the opinions 
of others and it creates awareness and a more conscious attitude. This is also why the 
respondents were very enthusiastic about the focus groups conducted in the context of 
this study. The open, non-judgemental discussion made them aware of their behaviour 
and made them think about the consequences of this behaviour. 

Finally, television and social media can play a role by informing young people about 
the closure of illegal webshops. Young people in the sessions remembered past messages 
on the closure of websites or webshops very well; such messages triggered them to 
pause and consider their own use of such sites.

- 60 -

4. Part B: Quantitative 
research — Online Survey

Intellectual Property and Youth

4.1 Introduction

In the previous part of this report, the results of the qualitative research were discussed. In 
this part, the views of the young generation within the EU are analysed using a representative 
online survey of young people across the EU28. The questionnaire for the online survey 
was  designed  based  on  the  results  of  the  qualitative  focus  groups  and  it  is  used  to 
obtain  quantifiable  data  in  addition  to  the  insights  obtained  during  the  qualitative 
research. This approach enables the study to look at the statistical differences between 
subgroups  of  young  people,  and  weigh  up  the  significance  of  their  different  ideas, 
perceptions and behaviours. 
The consumer panels of GfK took part in the research, with 24,295 young Europeans 
aged 15 to 24, representing all 28 EU member states, surveyed between 5 May and 6 
June 2015. In the three smallest countries (population less than 1 million) the target 
sample size was 250 respondents, and for the six mid-sized countries (population between 
1 and 5 million) the sample was 750, while there were 1,000 respondents from each 
of the 19 larger countries (population over 5 million). The unweighted sample size for 
each country is shown in Table 2. The country results presented in this report were 
weighted based on age and gender, as were the aggregated results at EU level, with the 
addition of population size.

Table 2 Sample size per country

- 62 -

Intellectual Property and YouthIn what follows, the results are discussed and differences between subgroups are described 
if they are statistically significant (at a significance level of ≤0.05), unless mentioned 
otherwise. The significance level indicates a 5% risk of concluding that a difference 
between subgroups exists when there is no actual difference. All tables and the questionnaire 
are further included in Annex 2 and 3. The subgroups that are considered by default 
are reported in Table 3, and relate to the socio-demographic characteristics of gender, 
age group, education level (completed education and undertaking education), employment 
status, and income as a student.

Table 3 Subgroups

Gender

Male

Female
Age groups

Teenagers (15-17 year olds)

Young adults (18-21 year olds)
Adults (22-24 year olds)
Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Education level (completed)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)

High (tertiary education)

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed

Other

Income as student  

Income 

No income

- 63 -

50% 
50%

26%

41%

33%

18%

49%
33%

22%

51%

27%

73% 
14%

6%

7%

50%

50%

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The results10 are presented as follows:

• First, the attitudes and behaviours of young Europeans towards digital con-

tent are discussed. 

•  This  is  followed  by  their  attitudes  and  behaviours  towards  actual  physical 

goods purchased online. 

• Subsequently, their ability to distinguish between legal and illegal sources11 
selling genuine and counterfeit goods as well as their ability to identify legal and illegal 
sources to access digital content is looked at. 

•  Finally,  the  report  reviews  what  can  be  learnt  from  this  study  in  terms  of 
potentially successful communication messages for young people on the topic of IP 
infringements.

4.2 Digital content

4.2.1 Usage patterns of digital content

MUSIC  IS  THE  CONTENT  MOST  FREQUENTLY  ACCESSED  BY  YOUNG  
PEOPLE  IN  EUROPE.  DIGITAL  CONTENT  IS  MORE  OFTEN  STREAMED 
IS  
THAN  DOWNLOADED.  THIS  PREFERENCE  FOR  STREAMING 
DOMINANT  ACROSS  SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC  CHARACTERISTICS  WITH 
THE EXCEPTION OF AGE. OLDER AGE GROUPS ARE MORE LIKELY TO 
DOWNLOAD THEIR CONTENT THAN YOUNGER AGE COHORTS.

Young people in the EU are very active in accessing digital content and whilst there 
are certain types of content that young people access more regularly than others, the 
majority of young people access all of the various types of digital content. In the figure 
below, the proportion of young people who have used digital content within the past 
year is presented, categorised by type of content. 

Overall, nearly all young people listen to music (97%), watch films and series (95%), or 
play games (91%) online by either streaming or downloading such content. Whilst not 
as popular, educational content, TV shows and sports are also accessed online by the 
vast majority of young people. E-newspapers and magazines or e-books are the least 
likely types of digital content to be used by young people; nevertheless these types of 
content are still accessed by the majority of young people.

10   The percentages in this report are given without a decimal and due to rounding percentages may not add up 
to 100% exactly. 
11   Websites like eBay or other ‘public’ online markets are not addressed in this research. However, these sources 
can potentially be a forum for sellers of counterfeit goods.

- 64 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
97% - MUSIC

Figure 1. Use of digital content12

95% - FILMS AND SERIES

80% - TV SHOWS AND SPORT

91% - GAMES

61% - E-NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES

83% - EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

58% - E-BOOKS

Music is the digital content most regularly accessed online, with young people accessing 
it at least every other day (204 days per year). On the other hand, e-newspapers and 
magazines are accessed only around once a week or less (46 days per year).13
Digital  content  can  be  streamed  without  the  need  to  save  it  on  a  device  such  as  a  
smartphone, tablet or laptop, or it can be downloaded. In general, young Europeans 
have  preference  to  stream  rather  than  download  (see  Figure  2).  However,  there  are 
some interesting differences in the preference between streaming and downloading, 
which is dependent upon the type of digital content they are accessing. 

TV shows
and sport

Films and series

E-newspapers
and magazines

Educational
content

Music

Games

E-books

Figure 2 Streaming and/or downloading digital content14

73% 

66% 

63% 

53% 

48% 

46% 

41% 

15% 

12% 

17% 

17% 

23% 

14% 

26% 

21% 

28% 

24% 

36% 

42% 

18% 

17% 

AVERAGE

56% 

27% 

18% 

Streaming/playing/reading

Downloading

Both streaming/playing/reading AND downloading

12   Source: Question II3.1: How often have you listened to, watched, read, used, played, downloaded, streamed 
the following content from the internet during the past 12 months? (Answers: daily, weekly, monthly, or rarely, 
but not never) (N=24,295)
13   Usage frequency is calculated by recoding answers to a single unit of “days per year”: the answer ‘daily use’ 
is multiplied by 365, the answer ‘weekly’ is multiplied by 52, the answer ‘monthly’ is multiplied by 12 and the 
answer ‘rarely’ is multiplied by 4. 
14   Source: Question II3a: What do you do most? Films/series (N=23,134), Music (N=23,558), Games (N=21,740), 
E-books (N=13,971), E-newspapers and magazines (N=15,008), TV shows and sport (N=19,024), Educational con-
tent (N=20,703), Other (N=11,974)

- 65 -

When the characteristics of young people are compared, as illustrated in Table 4, different 
age groups seem to have different preferences in terms of choosing to either stream or 
download. 

•  Teenagers  (15-17  year  olds)  are  more  likely  to  stream  digital  content  than 
young adolescents (18-21 year olds), who in turn are more likely to stream than adults 
(22-24 year olds). 

• Older age groups more often download digital content, the exception being 
music,  which  is  more  often  downloaded  by  teenagers  and  more  often  streamed  by 
adults. 
Other differences in usage patterns between subgroups, such as gender, education or 
employment status, are not statistically significant. This means, for instance, that there 
are no substantial differences to report about the use of digital content between males 
and females, or students and non-students.

Table 4: Streaming and downloading digital content (age groups)

4.2.2 Drivers of accessing digital content

QUALITY,  PRICE  AND  SAFETY  ARE  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  ASPECTS 
WHEN  ACCESSING  DIGITAL  CONTENT,  WHILE  ONLY  27%  OF  YOUNG 
PEOPLE VALUE THE LEGALITY OF THE SOURCE AS IMPORTANT.

Young  people  have  a  clear  preference  to  streaming  rather  than  downloading  their 
digital content, but what drives young people to use certain sources over others? In 
order to determine what young people consider to be important when deciding which 

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
sources to use, the survey directly asked young people what aspects were more important 
to them. 
Amongst the fifteen various aspects that were examined three specific aspects stand 
out.  These  three  factors  can  be  understood  as  being  the  main  drivers  which  young 
people take into consideration when making choices about which sources to use when 
accessing digital content. 

• Quality is mentioned by two thirds of young people (64%) as an important 

aspect to take into consideration. 

• 59% argue that price (the availability of cheap or free digital content) is im-

portant to them. 

• Around half (52%) say the safety of the website or the source of the digital 

content is important when accessing digital content.

Figure 3 Important aspects when using digital content15

64% 

59% 

52% 

46% 
46% 

43% 

The content is of good quality

The content is cheap or free of charge

The site/source is safe

Fast stream/download

Plenty of choice

No need to register

The site is user-friendly

No risk of account being/of paying fine

The content is offered on a legal basis

Get and reuse content on any device

Pay in an easy way

Stream/access in other countries

Pay per item

Pay a subscription fee

35% 

29% 
29% 

26% 

19% 

17% 

14% 
13% 

Being able to re-sell the content

9% 

Other aspects are valued as being important amongst less than half of young people. 
These  are  the  streaming/download  speed  (46%),  having  plenty  of  choice  of  content 
(46%), and being able to access content without having to register (43%). 

There are some gender differences in terms of what aspects drive young people to use 
certain sources over others when accessing digital content. Teenage girls and young 
women  are  more  likely  to  look  upon  price  (61%)  and  safety  (56%)  as  being  more 

15  Source: Question II4: If you want to use, play, download or stream content from the internet such as ...catego-
ries, what is more important to you? Please select 5 things you find most important and rank them in your top 5. 
(N=24,083)

- 67 -

 
 
 
important than their male counterparts (56% and 47% respectively). Nonetheless, they
are also more likely than young males to believe that being able to get digital content 
without having to register is important (48% against 38%). For males plenty of choice 
is more often cited as an important aspect than it is their female counterparts (47% 
against 44%).

The question of young people’s attitudes towards the legality of their sources of digital 
content is interesting to consider. Is the legality of the source something that young 
people deem to be important when deciding on which sources to use? The results of the 
survey find that nearly one third (29%) of young people state they consider the legality 
of the source as important when accessing digital content.

Nevertheless this proportion varies significantly from just 10% in Bulgaria to 41% in 
Germany.

Figure 4 Proportion of young people for whom the legality of digital content is an important aspect16

>30%

25- 29%

20-24%

<20%

16  Source: Question II4: If you want to use, play, download or stream content from the internet such as ...catego-
ries, what is more important to you? Please select 5 things you find most important and rank them in your top 5. 
(N=24.083)

- 68 -

Intellectual Property and Youth4.2.3 Accessing digital content – legally or illegally

ONE  IN  FOUR  YOUNG  EUROPEANS  MAKE  INTENTIONAL  USE  OF  
ILLEGAL SOURCES. ONE IN FIVE DO NOT KNOW IF THE SOURCES ARE 
LEGAL OR ILLEGAL.

Young people across Europe are prolific users of digital content and have a number of 
aspects which they deem to be important when deciding which sources to utilise to access 
that content. The analysis has already found that less than a third of young people 
believe the legality of the source is important when accessing digital content. Of interest  
for  this  study  are  the  intentions  and  behaviours  of  young  people  when  accessing  
digital content. This means not only looking at whether young people think legality 
is important but also whether illegal sources are intentionally and to what degree? On 
the basis of asking young people whether they intentionally used illegal sources for 
digital content in the last 12 months, young people can be identified as those who:

• intentionally use illegal sources to access digital content;
• do not intentionally use illegal sources to access digital content;
• do not know if the sources they use are legal or illegal.

In terms of making a conscious decision, there are those who intentionally decide to 
use illegal sources to access digital content and those who do not. These two groups 
are looked at in detail in the remainder of this report, focussing on the drivers behind 
the  choice  to  either  use  illegal  sources  or  not.  In  addition  the  report  looks  at  what 
would be the main reasons for them to stop using such sources or, in the case they 
choose not to use illegal sources, why they would refrain from using them. 
Some  young  people  access  digital  content  through  illegal  sources  accidentally. 
This analysis identifies young people who do not use illegal sources and those who  
unintentionally used illegal sources as both belonging to the group of those who ‘do 
not intentionally use illegal sources’. 

A quarter of young people intentionally used illegal sources to access digital content. 
However, around half (53%) of young people did not intentionally use illegal sources (i.e. 
40% declared not having used illegal sources in the last 12 months and 13% declared 
having done so by accident). Interestingly, just over one fifth (22%) of young people are 
unsure if they have utilised illegal sources or not. The breakdown is illustrated in Figure 5.

- 69 -

 
 
 
Figure 5 Used illegal sources to access digital content17

22% 

25% 

13%  

40% 

Yes, intentionally

Yes, by accident

No

I don’t know

Although there is clear intentional usage of illegal sources amongst a quarter of young 
people, it is rarely the case that young people solely use illegal sources. It is important 
to mention that the vast majority (81%) in the sample said they also used legal sources 
for accessing online content. This means that only a minority percentage solely uses 
illegal sources to access online content. 

4.2.4 Young Europeans intentionally accessing digital content from illegal sources

A quarter of young people are intentionally accessing digital content from illegal sources. 
Looking at who is most likely to use illegal sources, the profile of those intentionally 
utilising  illegal  sources  is  presented  in  the  following  table.  Those  who  deliberately 
use illegal sources when accessing digital content are more likely to be male, higher  
educated, and students rather than non-students, more often with an income. 

17  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083) and IV3: Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content intentionally? 
(N=9,907)

- 70 -

Intellectual Property and YouthTable 5 Proportion of young people who intentionally accessed digital 
content from illegal sources - profile18

Gender

Male

Female

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Education level (completed)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)

High (tertiary education)

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed

Income as student  

Income 

No income

28% 
23%

23%

26%
32%

15%

23%

30%

27% 
23%

21%

29%

23%

There are also wide variations in these proportions by country (see Figure 6).

• Young people from the Baltic countries are most likely to say they intentio-
nally use illegal sources. For example, 50% in Estonia and 40% Lithuania intentionally 
use illegal sources. 

• This is in comparison to Romania (17%), Slovakia (17%), Germany (19%) and 
the UK (19%) where one fifth or less of young people intentionally use illegal sources.

18  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083) and IV3: Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content intentionally? 
(N=9,907)

- 71 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 6 Proportion of young people who intentionally accessed digital content 
from illegal sources per country19

Type of content mostly accessed from illegal sources

Section 4.2.1 presented the overall usage patterns of the types of digital content that 
young people are accessing in general. However, looking at the types of digital content 
that young people who intentionally use illegal sources are accessing, a different usage 
pattern  emerges.  The  large  majority  of  those  who  intentionally  use  illegal  sources 
stream or download films and series. Music is the most popular digital content that 
young  people  access,  with  almost  all  young  people  streaming  or  downloading  this 
content. However, only a little over half of young people who use illegal sources are 
doing so to access music content. Films/series is the second most accessed content, 
but is, however, the most used through illegal sources. Beside films/series and music, 
young people who are intentionally using illegal sources are not likely to be doing so 

19  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083) and IV3: Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content intentionally? 
(N=9,907)

- 72 -

Intellectual Property and Youthfor other types of digital content. 
These findings are illustrated in the following figure, which shows the degree to which 
each  digital  content  type  is  used  by  all  young  people  at  the  top  of  the  figure.  The 
percentages underneath each icon indicate the degree to which these types of digital 
content are mentioned by those who accessed digital content via illegal sources. 

Figure 7 Use of digital content in general and intentional use of digital content from illegal sources20

All respondents 
(nº 24,295)

97% 

95% 

91% 

83% 

80% 

61% 

58% 

MUSIC

FILMS 
AND SERIES

GAMES

EDUCATIONAL
CONTENT

TV SHOWS 
AND SPORT

E-NEWSPAPERS
AND MAGAZINES

E-BOOKS

56% 

85% 

29% 

7% 

17% 

5% 

15% 

Respondents who 
intentionally used 
illegal sources 
(nº 6,737)

There is limited national variation in the type of digital content most often intentionally 
accessed via illegal sources. Nevertheless, there are some findings which stand out:

• Of those who use illegal sources, at least 94% access films and series in Malta 

and Croatia, above the European average of 85%.

• Of those who use illegal sources, at least 70% are accessing music in Bulgaria, 

Slovakia and Croatia, clearly above the European average of 56%.

• Of those who use illegal sources, more than 50% are accessing games in Hungary, 

Latvia and Slovakia, compared to the European average of 29%.

• Of those who use illegal sources, more than 29% are accessing e-books in 

Bulgaria, Malta and Spain, around double the European average of 15%.

• Of those who use illegal sources, 10% are accessing e-newspapers and magazines, 

which is more than double the European average of 5%. 

• Of those who use illegal sources, more than 30% are accessing TV shows and 
sport in Finland, Ireland and the UK,, which is clearly above the European average of 
17%.

• Of those who use illegal sources, at least 15% are accessing educational content 
in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta and Romania, which is clearly above the European 
average of 7%.

20  Source: Question II3.1: How often have you listened to, watched, read, used, played, downloaded, streamed the 
following content from the internet during the past 12 months? (N=24,295) and IV4. Which type of content did you 
use, play, download or stream intentionally from an illegal source (website)? Please indicate all that apply. (N=6,737)

- 73 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Quantitative results compared to qualitative findings

Reasons to use illegal sources

Young people clearly choose certain types of digital content from illegal rather than 
legal sources. In order to understand the motivations of young people when making 
the decision to use illegal sources a number of triggers were assessed (see Figure 8). 

Figure 8 Drivers to intentionally use illegal sources21

67% 

Free of charge or cheaper

For personal use

Available quicker

No need to register

Larger choice

Easier to find and access

Only find using illegal sources

Access content per item

Check before ordering from legal source

People around me do this

Access content in another country

Re-use content on other devices

Search engine shows

Don’t know why not

Other

4% 

38% 

33% 

31% 
30% 

30% 

29% 

27% 

20% 

17% 

15% 

14% 

14% 

12% 

21  Source: Question IV5: You indicated that you have used illegal sources (websites) intentionally for online con-
tent during the past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply. (N=6,737)

- 74 -

Intellectual Property and YouthThe main reason put forward by those who intentionally choose illegal sources is price 
– more than two thirds of young people state that this is the motivating factor behind 
their decision to choose illegal sources. However, they also have a variety of other reasons 
they also consider in addition to price. All the drivers are outlined below:

Price
69% of young people deliberately choose illegal sources because they are free of charge 
or cheaper. Cost is more often a trigger for female young people rather than male, for 
students without an income compared to those with an income, for unemployed young 
people compared to those who are employed, and for young people in higher education. 
Price is the most important driver in all countries for most young Europeans.  

Personal use
40% of young people say they intentionally use illegal sources because they see nothing 
wrong as long as it is for personal use, an attitude more often expressed by those with 
a higher level of education. Some national differences emerge: at least half of young 
people in Croatia, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia share this attitude, while less than a 
quarter in Denmark and Sweden agree.

Accessibility
Easier access relates to triggers such as the rapid availability of digital content, no need 
to register before accessing the digital content, content is easy to find and access, there 
is a greater choice. Around a third of young people access illegal sources intentionally, 
because of accessibility triggers, though the proportion is higher among females. 50% 
or more of young people in Estonia, Latvia and Malta argue that ease of access is an 
important trigger for them, while in Cyprus and Malta more than half of the young 
people say that the fact that there is no need to register is an important element in their 
decision to access content illegally.

Choice
A third (33%) of those surveyed intentionally use illegal sources, in part because they 
are motivated by the wider choice. This is especially true of female young people in 
the study, as well as students with an income rather than those without. This trigger is 
more often mentioned in Sweden and Denmark where it is important for almost half 
of the respondents polled. In addition, 30 percent of young people also mention that 
they cannot find the digital content they are searching for on legal sites. As before, it is 
female young people who mention this barrier more often than their male counterparts. 

- 75 -

At the country level, respondents in Estonia, Latvia and the UK are somewhat more 
likely to mention this factor.

Check content
Finally, 20% of young people (more often male) mention that they use illegal content 
to perform checks before ordering the content legally. At the country level, this trigger 
is mentioned by as many as a third of young Europeans in Estonia, Malta and Poland.

Quantitative results compared to qualitative findings

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

One side of the coin is understanding why young people choose illegal sources. The 
other is what are the reasons for them to stop using these sources? Understanding the 
reasons  that  would  deter  them  is  informative  when  considering  both  what  types  of 
actions can be taken to reduce this behaviour and what messages should be included 
in communication with young people. 
Only 1 in 10 young people who access illegal digital content intentionally say that nothing 
would make them stop. There are no differences between subgroups in relation to this 
attitude.  Across  countries,  the  proportion  of  young  people  with  this  attitude  varies 
from 4% in Poland to almost 30% in Cyprus and Malta.

- 76 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFigure 9 Main reasons given to stop using illegal sources to access digital content22

58% 

Availability of affordable
original products

Risk of punishment

Bad experience
(personal)

Bad experience
(others)

Bad experience
(friends/family)

Better understanding of
harm caused by behaviour

Nothing would make
 me stop

9% 

36% 

28% 

22% 

20% 

18% 

The main reasons that would motivate young people to stop using illegal sources to 
access digital content are outlined as follows: 

Availability of an affordable offer
The primary reason given amongst those who intentionally use illegal sources to ac-
cess digital content is the availability of affordable original products (see Figure 9), 
echoing the main driver given for why young people choose these sources in the first 
place.  Almost  two  thirds  (58%)  of  young  people  would  stop  using  illegal  sources  if 
affordable content from legal sources was available. 
Price is more often cited as a barrier by female young people, and by young people in 
higher education. For the younger generation in some countries, this view is even more 
prevalent, with at least 7 in 10 in Hungary, Poland, Ireland and Denmark mentioning 
that availability of affordable genuine products would stop them intentionally using 
illegal digital content.

Risk of punishment
The  fear  of  punishment  does  not  appear  to  be  as  big  of  a  concern  amongst  young 
people in comparison to price. Slightly more than a third (36%) said they would stop 
using illegal sources to access digital content because of the risk of punishment. This 
view is more often expressed by female and by teenagers rather than young adults and 
adults,  and  by  students.  Young  people  in  some  countries  mention  this  barrier  more 
often than others, with almost half of those in Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Denmark 

22  Source: Question IV6: You indicated that you have used illegal sources (websites) intentionally for online content 
during the past 12 months. What would make you stop using illegal sources? Please indicate all that apply. (N=6,737)

- 77 -

and Luxembourg expressing the view that fear of punishment would make them stop 
using illegal content.

Negative experiences
Bad experiences can also lead to young people moving away from intentionally accessing 
illegal digital content in some cases. These bad experiences do not necessarily need to 
have happened to the young people themselves. The experiences of friends and family 
could equally influence attitudes towards using illegal sources. Personal bad experiences 
are more often indicated as a barrier by young females, and by students with an income 
compared to those without. In some countries, this barrier is even more strongly felt, 
with almost half of Austrian young people mentioning it, while in Germany and Slovenia 
the proportion is around 2 in 5.

Understanding
Finally, a better understanding of the harm caused by deliberately accessing illegal digital 
content would make almost 1 in 5 young people stop this behaviour. This barrier is 
more often mentioned by respondents in lower rather than higher education. 

4.2.5 Young people who do not intentionally access digital content from illegal 
sources23

JUST OVER HALF OF YOUNG PEOPLE (53%) DO NOT INTENTIONALLY 
USE ILLEGAL SOURCES TO ACCESS DIGITAL CONTENT. OLDER YOUNG 
PEOPLE (I.E. THOSE AGED 22-24) ARE MOST LIKELY TO SAY THEY DO 
NOT  USE  ILLEGAL  SOURCES,  WITH  THE  YOUNGEST  COHORT  MOST  
LIKELY TO HAVE DONE SO UNINTENTIONALLY. YOUNG PEOPLE WHO 
DO  NOT  INTENTIONALLY  USE  ILLEGAL  SOURCES  (BUT  HAVE  DONE 
SO  ACCIDENTALLY)  ARE  CONCERNED  ABOUT  THEIR  COMPUTERS  
BECOMING INFECTED BY VIRUSES OR MALWARE AND DO NOT TRUST 
SUCH  SOURCES.  THESE  ARE  THE  TOP  REASONS  GIVEN  BY  YOUNG  
PEOPLE TO AVOID ILLEGAL SOURCES.

As previously mentioned, there are two types of young people that make up the group 
of young people that do not intentionally use illegal sources to access digital content –  

23  This includes both those who said they do not use illegal sources and those who said they did so by acci-
dent (i.e. they did so unintentionally and therefore can be considered together with those who said they did not). 

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
those who simply do not use these sources and those who do not intentionally access 
illegal sources but have done so accidentally. Just over half of young people do not 
intentionally use illegal sources (40% do not use illegal sources and a further 13% do 
not do so intentionally but did so by accident). 

Looking  at  the  profile  of  those  who  do  not  intentionally  use  illegal  sources,  some 
important characteristics come into play. For example, adults are more likely to say 
they  do  not  use  illegal  sources.  Similarly,  amongst  those  who  do  not  intentionally 
use illegal sources but have done so by accident, it is least likely to be the adults who 
have done so (i.e. it is the youngest group who are most likely to have accidentally 
used illegal sources to access digital content). It is also most likely that lower educated 
young people are amongst those who say they do not access digital content from illegal 
sources, or did so accidentally. 

There does not appear to be a gender or income component in the general profile of 
those who do not intentionally use illegal sources. However, those without an income 
are more likely to say they accidentally accessed illegal content. 

Table 6 Proportion of young people who did not intentionally access 
digital content from illegal sources – profile24

Age groups

Teenagers (15-17 year olds)

Young adults (18-21 year olds)

Adults (22-24 year olds)

Education level (completed)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)

High (tertiary education)

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed

Proportion of 
those who did 
not use illegal 
sources

Proportion of 
those who 
accidentally 
used illegal 
sources

38%

39%

42%

50%

42%

41%

38%

45%

42%

15%

13%

6%

14%

13%

12%

13% 
13%

14%

24  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083)

- 79 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There is, however, some variation between countries. The proportion of those who did 
not use illegal sources ranges from a minority of 20% of Estonian to 58% of German 
young people (see Figure 10). The share of young people who unintentionally accessed 
illegal content by accident ranges from only 7% in Luxembourg to 23% in Cyprus (see 
Figure 11).

Figure 10 Proportion of young people who did not access digital content 
from illegal sources per country25

Did not use illegal sources
to access digital content
 40%

Germany

United Kingdom

Finland

Denmark

Austria

Italy

Poland

Hungary

Ireland

France

Netherlands

Sweden

Slovakia

Portugal

Spain

Malta

Luxembourg

Belgium

Croatia

Greece

Romania

Lithuania

Czech Republic

Bulgaria

Cyprus

Slovenia

Latvia

Estonia

58%

48%

47%

46%

44%

44%

38%

38%

37%

35%

34%

33%

32%

31%

31%

31%

30%

29%

28%

27%

27%

26%

25%

25%

25%

24%

21%

20%

25  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083) and IV3: Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content intentionally? 
(N=9,907)

- 80 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFigure 11 Proportion of young people who unintentionally accessed digital content 
from illegal sources per country26

Unintentionally accessed digital 
content from illegal sources
13%

Cyprus

Romania

Latvia

Spain

Slovakia

Greece

Slovenia

Hungary

Bulgaria

Portugal

Italy

United Kingdom

Slovakia

Croatia

Poland

Ireland

Lithuania

Czech Republic

Belgium

France

Denmark

Finland

Estonia

Netherlands

Austria

Malta

Germany

Luxembourg

23%

22%

19%

17%

16%

16%

15%

15%

15%

15%

14%

14%

14%

14%

14%

13%

12%

12%

12%

12%

12%

11%

10%

10%

9%

8%

7%

7%

In order to shed light on why young people do not intentionally use illegal sources, 
respondents who unintentionally used illegal sources (i.e. they did so by accident) were 
asked why they do not use illegal sources intentionally. This gives an indication of the 
thought process involved when they are making decisions about which sources to use 
and make efforts to avoid illegal sources. The top reasons indicated as to why they did 
not intentionally use illegal sources are related to:

• the fear of the risks posed by viruses or spyware (53%): Young people were 
concerned about the negative consequences using illegal sources could have for their 
computer, with half of those young people who accidentally access illegal sources citing 
this as being the reason they did not want to use illegal sources. 

• lack of trust in illegal sources (45%); and

26  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083) and IV3: Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content intentionally? 
(N=9,907)

- 81 -

 
 
• the fact that they do not wish to be doing anything illegal (43%).

Other reasons given to avoid illegal sources are provided in the figure below. Given 
that only a small percentage of young people (13%) accidentally accessed digital content 
through illegal sources it is not possible to confidently report differences dependent 
upon  socio-demographics  or  geographical  locations  in  terms  of  why  they  do  not  
intentionally use illegal sources. 

Figure 12 Reasons not to use illegal sources to access digital content27

Computer infected by
viruses/spyware

Do not trust illegal sources

Do not want to do
 anything illegal

Quality of legal
sources better

Data would be misused

Harm to artists/creators

53% 

45% 

43% 

35% 

34% 

28% 

Not cool

Bad experience

15% 

14% 

Other

2% 

4.2.6 Young people who do not know if the sources they use are legal or illegal

Almost a quarter of young people do not know if they used legal or illegal sources to 
access digital content. Importantly, it is rarely the case that this is due to the indifference 
of young people. The vast majority (85%) of those who do not know if the sources they 
use are illegal or legal cannot determine the legality of the source.

We have seen in Figure 5 that around 1 in 5 (22%) of young people across Europe say 
they did not know whether they used illegal sources when they accessed digital content. 
There is significant variation depending on gender, age, educational level and income. 
Female  young  people  more  often  than  male,  and  students  without  an  income  more 
often than those with, are not aware whether they are using illegal or legal sources.  

27  Source: Question IV7: You indicated that you have not use illegal sources (websites) intentionally for online 
content during the past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply. (N=3,170)

- 82 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
Table 7. Proportion of young people who do not know if they used illegal sources 
to access digital content – profile28

Gender

Male

Female

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Education level (completed)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)

High (tertiary education)

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed

Income as student  

Income 

No income

18% 
26%

23%

22%
22%

20%

22%

17%

22% 
19%

23%

20%

24%

At a country level, the proportions of respondents who do not know whether they access 
digital content illegally is illustrated in the following figure. The share of young people 
who are unaware of the legality of their sources ranges from 14% in Finland to 36% 
in Romania. 

In terms of the intentions of those who do not know if they used illegal or legal sources 
to access online content, it is important to distinguish between those who do not know 
as they simply do not care or whether it is due to the fact that these young people are 
unable to distinguish whether the sources are legal or illegal. The findings indicate that 
the majority of young people who do not know the legality of the sources they used 
are unable to determine whether the source is legal or not. It is only a small minority 
of young people who feel indifferent to whether their sources are legal or not, leading 
to them being unaware of the legality of the sources they use. 

28  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N= 24,083)

- 83 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 13 Proportion of young people who do not know whether they accessed digital 
content from illegal sources per country29

4.2.7 Experiences when accessing digital content

MOST YOUNG EUROPEANS ARE FULLY SATISFIED WHEN ACCESSING 
ONLINE  CONTENT,  ALTHOUGH  44%  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  HAVE  BEEN 
SPAMMED  AS  A  RESULT  OF  ACCESSING  DIGITAL  CONTENT  –  THIS  
INCLUDES BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL SOURCES.

Young people were not only asked about whether they access digital content and whether 
they use illegal or legal sources to do so. Their experiences of accessing digital content 
were also captured. 
As previously stated, the majority (77%) of young people were, on at least one occasion, 
fully  satisfied  when  accessing  digital  content.  More  often  these  were  females, 

29  Source: Question IV2: During the past 12 months, have you used, played, downloaded or streamed content from 
illegal sources (websites)? (N=24,083)

- 84 -

Intellectual Property and Youthor unemployed and lower educated respondents who were fully satisfied rather than 
males, students, and higher educated young people.
Those fully satisfied by their experience form a large majority in Estonia, for example, 
while only half are fully satisfied in Luxembourg.  

Figure 14 Proportion of young people who were fully satisfied at least once 
when accessing digital content per country30

Estonia

Ireland

I was fully satisfied
77%

Czech Republic

Croatia

Latvia

Lithuania

Slovenia

Austria

Greece

Malta

Netherlands

Bulgaria

Finland

Poland

Slovakia

85%

83%

83%

82%

82%

82%

81%

81%

81%

80%

80%

79%

79%

79%

United Kingdom

Hungary

Italy

France

Belgium

Spain

Germany

Sweden

Romania

Portugal

Denmark

Cyprus

Luxembourg

77%

77%

77%

77%

77%

77%

76%

76%

75%

75%

75%

72%

64%

52%

Whilst  the  vast  majority  of  young  people  are  fully  satisfied  with  their  experiences, 
there are also non-negligible portions who state they experienced a range of negative 
issues, as illustrated in the following figure. 

Nine different issues when accessing digital content were assessed. 

•  Overall,  44%  said  that  they  were  spammed  as  a  result  of  accessing  digital 

content. 

• 41% had problems due to the fact that the digital content was not accessible 

in their country. 

30  Source: Question V1.5: Have the following ever happened to you when you have used, played, downloaded or 
streamed content online such as: [insert answer categories indicated < 5 in II3]? I was fully satisfied. (N=24,083)

- 85 -

 
 
• 40% said that their activities had led to viruses or malware on their computer. 
A  fear  of  viruses  or  malware  was  also  mentioned  by  more  than  half  of  those  who  
unintentionally used an illegal source as the reason not to use illegal sources.

• Around 3 in 10 reported that the digital content did not work, was not portable 
to another device, could not be re-sold, or that costs were not refunded after making 
a complaint. Although it was the least likely experience, even so 20% of young people 
reported that their credit card details had been stolen.

Figure 15 Negative experiences when accessing digital content31

Content not accessible in another country

Spammed

Viruses or malware

Unable to make transaction

Paid for a service/content which did not work

Content not portable

Not able to re-sell content

Not refunded after making complaint

44%

41% 

40% 

30% 
29% 

28% 
28% 

27% 

Credit card details stolen

20% 

The above refers to experiences of accessing digital content in general. In the following 
section, these experiences are broken down by content source, whether legal or illegal, 
or where respondents said they did not know if the source was legal or illegal. Both 
positive and negative experiences are more often reported as something that happened 
when they were accessing legal sources. It is not the case that legal sources have more 
reported problems than illegal sources. Rather, when an experience occurs it is most 
likely to be on a legal source given that the majority of digital content is accessed legally. 
That is, it is not surprising that when young people experience a problem it is on a 
legal source since legal sources are the ones they use the most.
As mentioned, 77% of young people are fully satisfied with their experience of accessing 
digital content. Breaking this down into whether they used legal or illegal sources, the 
majority (53% of those who are fully satisfied) used legal sources, with only around 1 
in 10 of those who were fully satisfied having used illegal sources. 

31  Source: Question V1.1 – V1.10: Has the following ever happened to you when you have used, played, down-
loaded or streamed content online such as: [insert answer categories indicated < 5 in II3]? (N=24,083)

- 86 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
Figure 16 Satisfaction with their experience – legal or illegal sources32

Fully satisfied
(total: 77%)

15% 

16% 

69% 

Legal

Illegal

I don’t know

Given  that  legal  sources  are  the  preferred  option  amongst  young  people,  negative  
experiences are also most likely to be associated with legal sources. Nevertheless, there 
is one type of experience which is clearly more often an issue when accessing digital 
content in an illegal manner: infection by viruses and malware. Almost 1 in 5 of all 
young people experienced viruses or malware as a result of using illegal sources.

Figure 17 Negative experiences when accessing digital content and the legality of sources used33

56% 

59% 

60% 

70% 

71% 

72% 

72% 

73% 

80% 

18% 

14% 

12% 

11% 

19% 

10% 

28% 

7% 
6% 

17% 

7% 
6% 

18% 

6% 
5% 

15% 

6% 
7% 

17% 

6% 
5% 

15% 

7% 
5% 

Spammed

Content not
accessible in 
another country

Viruses or 
malware

Unable to 
make the
transaction 

Paid for a service
/content which 
did not work

Content not
 portable 

Not able to
re-sell the 
content

Not refunded 
after making 
complaint

10% 
6% 
4% 
Credit card 
details stolen

Yes, and I don’t know whether the source (website) was legal or not

Yes, and I think the source (website) was legal

Yes, and I think the source (website) was illegal

No

32  Source: Question V1.1 – V1.10: Has the following ever happened to you when you have used, played, downloaded 
or streamed content online such as: [insert answer categories indicated < 5 in II3]? (N=24,083)
33  Source: Question V1.1 – V1.10: Has the following ever happened to you when you have used, played, downloaded 
or streamed content online such as: [insert answer categories indicated < 5 in II3]? (N=24,083)

- 87 -

4.3 Physical goods 

4.3.1 Purchase patterns of physical goods online

YOUNG EUROPEANS PRIMARILY BUY CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES ONLINE. THEY 
VALUE  A  SAFE  PAYMENT  METHOD  AS  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  ASPECT  THEY  
CONSIDER WHEN PURCHASING PHYSICAL GOODS ONLINE.

Young people in the EU purchase all kinds of physical goods online. Overall, 93% say 
they have purchased a product online in the last 12 months. In Figure 18, the proportion 
of young people who purchased physical goods online within the last year is presented, 
categorised by type of good.  

• 64% bought clothes or accessories online, the most popular category, 
• Almost half had bought footwear online during the previous twelve months.

Other categories of goods were tickets (including transport and concert tickets, etc.) 
and small electronic devices (such as USB memory sticks or earphones), purchased by 
a third (35%) of young people. 

64%

46%

36%

35%

31%

30%

30%

26%

Figure 18 Purchase of physical goods online34

Clothes and accessories

Footwear

Tickets 
Transport, events, etc

Small electronic devices 
USB sticks, earphones, etc

Books and magazines

Hygiene, cosmetics, 
personal care and perfume

Music and films

Games
CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc

25%

23%

23%

23%

18%

14%

12%

9%

Sportswear and equipment

Jewellery and watches

Large electronic devices
Computers, cameras, consoles

Telecom equipment 
Phones and accessories

Foodstuff and beverages

Toys

Medication

Household cleaning 
and laundry

34  Source: Question II1: Which of the following products have you bought online during the past 12 months? 
(N=24,295)

- 88 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
Clothes and accessories, footwear and tickets are more often purchased online by females, 
adults, higher educated young people and those with an income compared with respectively 
males, teenagers, lower educated young people and those with no income.
Similar patterns apply to the online purchase of small electronic devices in relation to 
age, education, and income. However, the gender divide is different, since it is male 
rather than female who purchase these types of physical goods online.

Table 8 Proportion of young people who purchase physical goods online - profile35

Gender

Male

Female
Age groups

Teenagers (15-17 year olds)
Young adults (18-21 year olds)
Adults (22-24 year olds)

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)
Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Education level (completed)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed
Income as student  

Income 

No income

Clothes 
and 
accessories

Footwear

Tickets

Small 
electronic
devices

55%
73%

60%

65%

66%

60%

64%

67%

61%

65%

71%

64%

60%

69%

69%

59%

41%
50%

39%

47%

49%

41%

44%

48%

48%

47%

58%

47%

43%

55%

50%

39%

31%
42%

28%

37%

42%

26%

33%

50%

22%

33%

50%

37%

25%

41%

41%

32%

41%
30%

30%

36%

38%

33%

33%

40%

32%

36%

43%

35%

41%

30%

39%

31%

4.3.2 Drivers for purchasing physical goods online

TRUST  AND  SAFETY,  QUALITY  AND  PRICE  ARE  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  ASPECT 
YOUNG EUROPEANS CONSIDER WHEN PURCHASING PHYSICAL GOODS ONLINE.

35  Source: Question V1.1 – V1.10: Did the following already happen to you when you used, played, downloaded 
or streamed content online such as: [insert answer categories indicated < 5 in II3]? (N=24,083)

- 89 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Only 7% of young people in Europe have not purchased physical goods online in the 
last 12 months. Therefore, it is an almost universal phenomenon amongst the 15-24 
year-old age group. In order to shed light on the things that are important to young 
people  when  making  purchases  of  physical  goods  online,  thirteen  different  aspects 
were examined as possible drivers of purchasing physical goods online. 

Trust and safety

• A safe payment method is indicated by almost two thirds of young people 

(65%), which makes it the most commonly chosen aspect. 

• Being able to trust the vendor is chosen by 44% of young Europeans. 
• The site being safe, meaning there is no or only a low risk of malware and 

viruses, is chosen by two out of five (42%) young people overall.

Quality

• The quality of the products is a close second in terms of what young people take 
into  consideration  when  purchasing  goods  online.  63%  of  the  respondents  consider 
the quality of the good as important, with no major differences between the different 
socio-demographic  groups,  although  the  youngest  group  mentions  this  aspect  more 
than the older age groups (respectively 68% vs 62% vs 60%).  

Price

• The third aspect that is deemed important amongst young people, as indicated 

by just less than half (49%), is the price of the product. 

Figure 19 Important aspects when purchasing physical goods online36

Payment method is safe

Good quality

Cheap

Trust vendor

Site is safe

Receive item as quickly as possible

Item is original, not fake

Site offers consumer protection

Plenty of choice

Easy to pay

Buy items that are not available in-store

Buy anytime and anywhere

Item easy to find

65%  

63%  

49%  

44%  

42%  
41% 
40%  

37%  

34%  

30%  

22%  

19%  
17%  

36  Source: Question II2: If you want to buy items such as [insert answer categories indicated in II1] online, what is 
more important to you? Please select 5 things you find most important, and rank them in your TOP 5. (N=21,981)

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
Other aspects were indicated less often, but also seem to matter to young Europeans:

• Getting the item as quickly as possible is in sixth place, indicated by 41% of 

respondents.

•  A  third  of  young  people  (34%)  want  plenty  of  choice  when  they  shop  for 

goods online.
There are wide variations in relation to gender and age. Females more often (than males) 
say that the safety of the payment method (69%) and consumer protection that the 
website offers (40%) are two important aspects to take into consideration when purchasing 
physical goods online. Teenagers more often (than young adults and adults) value a 
safe payment method (67%), the site being safe (45%), a good returns policy (39%) and 
the product being of good quality (68%) as four important aspects to consider. Among 
others there are variations relating to income. For instance, students with an income 
more  often (than  students  without  an  income) say a  safe payment method (68%) is 
important. 

What is interesting to consider is that 40% of young Europeans think it is important 
that the item they purchase is original, not fake. The differences across the countries 
of the EU are illustrated in the Figure 20 below. 

Figure 20 Proportion of young people who think that the item they purchase being 
original, not fake, is important37

>40%

35- 39%

30-34%

<30%

37  Source: Question II2: If you want to buy items such as [insert answer categories indicated in II1] online, what is 
more important to you? Please select 5 things you find most important, and rank them in your TOP 5. (N=21,981)

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Quantitative results compared to qualitative findings

The results from 
the survey confirm the 
findings in the qualitative 
part, showing that young 
people have little trust in 
online purchases in general as 
they tend to worry about the 
product being of good quality 
and the payment method 
being secure.

Furthermore, the 
focus group sessions 
indicated that the most 
important reasons to 
shop online are the 
convenience, the price 
and the wider choice.

While the price is 
also valued as very 
important when buying 
goods online in the 
quantitative study, the 
convenience and choice are 
indicated as less important 
compared to the focus 
group sessions.

4.3.3 Purchasing counterfeit goods

THE LARGE MAJORITY OF YOUNG EUROPEANS DID NOT BUY A COUNTERFEIT PRO-
DUCT IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. 10% BOUGHT BY ACCIDENT AND ANOTHER 10% DID 
NOT KNOW WHETHER THEY HAD BOUGHT A COUNTERFEIT GOOD. 12% BOUGHT 
COUNTERFEIT GOODS INTENTIONALLY.

The above describes the aspects that are important to young people which they, in turn, 
take into consideration when purchasing goods online. This sets the context whereby 
almost all young people purchase goods and that price and safety are two important 
aspects for young people when making decisions about these purchases. 

The  legal  status  of  the  physical  goods  is  an  important  aspect,  with  40%  of  young  
people saying the fact that goods are original and genuine is something that is important  
to them. This study further examined whether young people purchase counterfeit goods 
and if so, whether they do so intentionally (see Figure 21).

Figure 21 Purchase of counterfeit goods38

10%  12% 

10% 

68% 

Yes, intentionally

Yes, by accident

No

I don’t know

38  Source: Question III2: During the past 12 months, have you bought a fake product online? (N=21,981)

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Intellectual Property and YouthAs was the case for accessing digital content, the behaviours of young people were 
grouped into three primary groups:

• those who intentionally purchase counterfeit goods
• those who do not intentionally purchase counterfeit goods, and
• those who do not know whether the goods they purchase are counterfeit or not.

12% deliberately purchase counterfeit goods, while 68% do not and a further 10% do 
not  intentionally  purchase  counterfeit  goods  but  did  so  by  accident;  the  remaining 
10%  “Don’t  know”.  Once  again,  the  analysis  considers  those  who  do  not  purchase 
counterfeit goods and those who do not intentionally purchase counterfeit goods (but 
did  so  by  accident)  together  as  their  intentions  are  understood  to  be  the  same.  The 
remainder of this section discusses the intentions and experiences of these different 
groups as well as shedding light on what types of reasons would change young people’s 
minds and stop them from making such purchases. 

4.3.4 Young people who intentionally purchase counterfeit goods online

MORE  THAN  ONE  IN  TEN  (12%)  RESPONDENTS  INTENTIONALLY  BOUGHT  
COUNTERFEIT  GOODS  ONLINE  IN  THE  PAST  YEAR.  CLOTHES  AND  ACCESSORIES 
ARE THE MOST POPULAR COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS BOUGHT ONLINE. THE MAIN 
DRIVERS ARE PRICE, INDIFFERENCE AND BELIEF THAT THE COUNTERFEIT PRODUCT 
IS  A  GOOD  DEAL.  AVAILABILITY  OF  AFFORDABLE  ORIGINALS,  BAD  EXPERIENCE 
AND  RISK  OF  PUNISHMENT  WOULD  MAKE  MOST  OF  THE  RESPONDENTS  STOP  
BUYING COUNTERFEIT GOODS ONLINE.

12% of young people intentionally bought counterfeit items online in the last 12 months. 
There are some socio-demographic characteristics that are associated with this behaviour. 
The profile of those who intentionally purchase counterfeit goods is outlined in the  
following  table.  Young  males  rather  than  females,  lower  educated  young  people  
compared to higher educated young people, and students rather than non-students are 
all more likely to deliberately purchase counterfeit goods. Age groups do not statistically 
differ from each other.

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Table 9 Proportion of young people who intentionally purchased counterfeit goods - profile39

Gender

Male

Female

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

13% 
10%

13%

13%
11%

Whilst the EU average indicates that a small minority of young people purchase counterfeit 
goods, this is not a universal phenomenon across the EU. There are national differen-
ces, with the proportion of young people intentionally purchasing counterfeit goods 
ranging from 5% in Austria to 24% in Greece (see Figure 22).

Figure 22 Proportion of young people who intentionally purchased counterfeit goods per country40

Intentionally purchased 
counterfeit goods
12%

Greece

Estonia

Cyprus

Slovenia

Spain

Lithuania

Croatia

Latvia

Poland

Hungary

Malta

Romania

Bulgaria

Finland

France

Luxembourg

Belgium

Portugal

Denmark

24%

22%

20%

20%

19%

19%

18%

17%

17%

15%

Sweden

Slovakia

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Czech Republic

Italy

Ireland

Germany

Austria

15%

15%

15%

12%

11%

11%

11%

11%

10%

10%

10%

10%

10%

9%

9%

9%

8%

5%

39  Source: Question III2: During the past 12 months, have you bought a fake product online? (N=21,981) 
40  Source: Question III2: During the past 12 months, have you bought a fake product online? (N=21,981)

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Quantitative results compared to qualitative findings

Types of counterfeit goods bought mostly online

Whilst it is relatively uncommon for young people to purchase counterfeit goods online, 
there are preferences in terms of the types of goods that are purchased. The figure below 
presents the top five goods purchased online and the respective shares of young people 
intentionally buying counterfeit products in these categories (see Figure 23). Clothes 
and accessories and footwear are again the two most popular categories, and this is 
reflected in the fact that they are also the two biggest categories of counterfeit goods 
purchased online. 

Figure 23 Purchase of physical goods in general and intentional purchase of counterfeit goods41

All respondents 
(nº 24,295)

64% 

46% 

36% 

35% 

31% 

CLOTHES 
AND ACCESSORIES

FOOTWEAR

TICKETS

SMALL 
ELECTRONIC DEVICES

BOOKS AND
MAGAZINES

46% 

33% 

5% 

19% 

7% 

Respondents who 
intentionally used 
illegal sources 
(nº 6,737)

Reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

There are a number of triggers that are behind the decision to intentionally purchase 
counterfeit  goods.  In  terms  of  the  motivations  of  those  who  intentionally  purchase 
counterfeit goods the main reason generally given is price (see Figure 24) although this 
is followed by young Europeans´ indifference and a belief they are getting a good deal. 

41  Source: Question II1: Which of the following products have you bought online during the past 12 months? 
(N=24,295) and III3. Which type of fake product(s) did you buy online? Please indicate all that apply. (N=2,836)

- 95 -

Figure 24 Drivers of intentional purchase of counterfeit products42

Price
The  most  important  driver  for  buying  counterfeit  goods  is  price.  Almost  two  thirds 
(58%) respondents intentionally buy counterfeit goods because they are cheaper than 
the  genuine  article.  It  is  particularly  young  females  (69%)  rather  than  young  males 
(50%), and students (60%) rather than those who are employed (50%) or unemployed 
(54%), who are more likely to say that price is an important trigger for buying counterfeit 
goods. Although the base sample size is limited, price is the most important trigger in 
every country.

Indifference
30%  of  young  people  simply  do  not  care  whether  they  buy  genuine  or  counterfeit 
goods.  This  indifference  is  more  often  expressed  by  female  (36%)  rather  than  male 
young people (26%). A related response is the ‘why not’ attitude, which was indicated 
by 13% of young people.

Other reasons
One in ten respondents were triggered to seek out counterfeit goods when the originals 
could not be delivered to their country, a response related to online purchasing issues 
discussed earlier. Finally, 1 in 10 young people argued they were triggered to intentionally 
buy counterfeit goods to protest against big brands.

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online
Furthermore, young people who intentionally bought a counterfeit good in the last 12 
months were asked what would make them stop. Only 1 in 20 of young people argue 

42  Source: Question III4: You indicated that you have intentionally bought a fake product online during the past 
12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply. (N=2,836) 

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Intellectual Property and Youththat there is nothing that would stop them intentionally purchasing counterfeit goods. 
Amongst  the  reasons  to  that  there  is  nothing  that  would  stop  them  intentionally  
purchasing counterfeit goods, the following three reasons are the most commonly given 
(see figure 25):

• Almost half of young people (45%) would stop buying counterfeit goods if 
affordable original products were available. Again, price seems a clear motivator in 
the decision to buy counterfeit goods. In particular, young women who intentionally 
bought counterfeit goods would buy genuine goods if affordable.

• Having a bad experience, either personal (41%), of one of their friends and re-
latives (27%) or of others (25%) is another potential reason to stop. For young women, 
a negative personal experience would have more impact than for men.

• A third important factor is risk of punishment that is indicated by 27% of 

young people as a reason to stop buying counterfeit goods.

Figure 25 Reasons to stop purchasing counterfeit goods43

45% 

41% 

Availability of affordable
original products

Bad experience
(personal)

Risk of punishment

Bad experience
(friends/family)

Bad experience
(others)

Harms image

Better understanding of
harm caused by behaviour

No barriers

5% 

27% 

27% 

25% 

16% 

15% 

4.3.5 Young Europeans who do not intentionally buy counterfeit goods

68%  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  DO  NOT  INTENTIONALLY  BUY  COUNTERFEIT  GOODS  – 
THOUGH  THERE  ARE  SOME  SIGNIFICANT  DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN  COUNTRIES. 
YOUNG  PEOPLE  PREFER  THE  QUALITY  OF  GENUINE  PRODUCTS,  DO  NOT  TRUST 
THE ONLINE SOURCES THAT SELL COUNTERFEIT GOODS AND DO NOT WANT TO DO 
SOMETHING ILLEGAL.

43  Source: Question III5: You indicated that you have intentionally bought a fake product online during the past 
12 months. What would make you stop buying a fake product? Please indicate all that apply. (N=2,836)

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The above describes the motivations of young people who intentionally buy counterfeit 
goods. However, the vast majority of young people do not intentionally buy counterfeit 
goods (78%). This section considers the profile of young people who make this choice. 
Furthermore, amongst those who did not intend to buy counterfeit goods, but did so 
accidentally, the analysis highlights why young people do not wish to purchase such 
goods online. 

Almost 7 in 10 (68%) of respondents do not intentionally purchase counterfeit goods. 
The profile of young people in this category is shown in the following table. Gender, 
employment status, and income are important factors, with female, unemployed young 
people, and students without an income being more likely to say they have not intentionally 
purchased counterfeit goods. There are no significant differences based on, for instance, 
age or education. 

Those who did not intend to purchase counterfeit good, but did so accidentally have 
a slightly different profile in comparison to those who simply did not buy counterfeit 
goods online. Male young people more often than female accidentally bought counterfeit 
goods. Similarly, young people in employment and those with a lower level of education 
as well as students with an income are also more likely to have unintentionally purchased 
counterfeit goods. 

Table 10 Proportion of young people who do not purchase counterfeit goods - profile44

Proportion who do not 
buy counterfeit goods

Proportion who 
unintentionally bought 
counterfeit goods

Gender

Male

Female

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed
Income as student  

Income 

No income

66%
70%

68%

65%

71%

65%

72%

12%
8%

10%

13%

9%

12%

8%

44    Source:  Question  III5:  You  indicated  that  you  have  intentionally  bought  a  fake  product  online  during  the 
past  12  months.  What  would  make  you  stop  buying  a  fake  product?  Please  indicate  all  that  apply.  (N=2,836) 
(compared to the EU average of 68%); however, this drops as low as 38% in Cyprus. 

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Whilst  the  overall  EU  picture  highlights  that  it  is  most  often  the  case  that  young 
people do not buy counterfeit goods, there is considerable variation in this percentage 
between countries. For example, 80% in Luxembourg do not buy counterfeit goods 
(where a fifth of respondents do in fact intentionally buy counterfeit goods). 

The proportion of those who unintentionally purchased counterfeit goods ranges from 
5% in Finland to 17% in Romania and 18% in Bulgaria and Cyprus. Young people who 
unwittingly  purchased  counterfeit  goods  were  further  asked  what  were  the  reasons 
behind their intention to avoid such products. The answers shed light on why young 
people do not choose counterfeit products over genuine goods – at least intentionally. 

The analysis highlights that:

• Young people prefer the quality of genuine goods and this is the primary reason 
that those who accidentally bought counterfeit goods online gave for wanting to avoid 
these types of goods.

• Another important concern amongst young people is that they do not feel 
that websites offering counterfeit goods can be trusted. These reasons to avoid purchasing 
counterfeit  goods  were  cited  by  more  than  half  of  young  people  (who  accidentally 
purchased counterfeit goods). 

• Whilst over half cited those two reasons, another important consideration is 

that young people do not wish to do anything illegal (40%). 

Figure 26 Reasons to refrain from purchasing counterfeit goods45

57% 

53% 

40% 

Quality of an original
is better

Not trusting the websites
which sell counterfeit products
Not wanting to do
anything illegal

It’s not cool to have 
a counterfeit product

Being afraid of data
being misused

Bad experience

9% 

Other

3% 

26% 

20% 

45  Source: Question III6: You indicated that you have not intentionally bought a fake product online during the 
past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply. (N=16,553)

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4.3.6 Young people who do not know if they are purchasing counterfeit goods

IN CONTRAST TO THE UNCERTAINTY THAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE OVER WHETHER 
THEIR  DIGITAL  CONTENT  IS  BEING  ACCESSED  THROUGH  LEGAL  AND  ILLEGAL 
SOURCES, IT IS RELATIVELY UNCOMMON FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE UNSURE IF 
THEY HAVE PURCHASED COUNTERFEIT GOODS OR NOT.

1 in 10 young people say they did not know if they purchased counterfeit goods or not. 
The profile of these respondents is shown in the following table. Female more often 
than male were unaware if they had bought counterfeit goods.

Table 11 Proportion of young people who do not know if the goods they purchased are counterfeit - profile46

Gender

Male

Female

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

8% 
12%

11%

10%
9%

At  a  country  level,  the  proportions  of  respondents  who  do  not  know  whether  they 
purchased counterfeit goods ranges from a negligible 3% in Luxembourg, 6% in Ireland 
and  7%  in  Italy,  France  and  the  United  Kingdom  to  almost  a  quarter  of  the  young 
people in Cyprus. 

Looking at why young people have a difficult time distinguishing whether they bought 
a counterfeit good or a genuine one, two thirds (62%) say it is because they can’t tell 
the difference between the two. Only one third (35%) simply do not care if they have 
purchased a genuine or fake product. 

4.3.7 Experience when purchasing physical goods online

THE  MAJORITY  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  ARE  SATISFIED  WITH  THEIR  EXPERIENCES  OF  
PURCHASING GOODS ONLINE. NEVERTHELESS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF NEGATIVE  
ISSUES THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ENCOUNTER SUCH AS GOODS ARRIVING LATE, EXPECTING  
THE QUALITY TO BE BETTER OR RECEIVING GOODS THEY HAD NOT ORDERED.

46    Source:  Question  III5:  You  indicated  that  you  have  intentionally  bought  a  fake  product  online  during  the 
past  12  months.  What  would  make  you  stop  buying  a  fake  product?  Please  indicate  all  that  apply.  (N=2,836) 
(compared to the EU average of 68%); however, this drops as low as 38% in Cyprus. 

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The above outlines that whilst almost all young people purchase goods online, the purchase 
of counterfeit goods is preferred amongst a minority of young people. Regardless of 
whether young people are purchasing genuine or counterfeit goods, the majority (77%) 
are satisfied with their experiences of purchasing goods online (as highlighted in the 
following figure). It is more likely to be young females, teenagers, students and higher 
educated  young  people  to  fall  into  this  category,  compared  respectively  with  male, 
(young) adults, non-students, and lower educated young people.
Those who were satisfied with at least one online purchase of physical goods form a 
large majority of more than 80% in Estonia, Austria and Malta. On the other hand, 
only half of young people in Luxembourg experienced a similarly satisfactory purchase.

Figure 27: Satisfaction when purchasing goods online, by country47

I was fully satisfied
76%

Malta

Austria

Estonia

Slovenia

Greece

Czech Republic

Croatia

Netherlands

Finland

86%

85%

84%

82%

82%

81%

78%

78%

78%

Hungary

Poland

Lithuania

Slovakia

Bulgaria

France

Italy

Portugal

Latvia

Belgium

Sweden

Germany

Spain

Ireland

United Kingdom

Denmark

Romania

Cyprus

Luxembourg

77%

77%

77%

77%

77%

76%

76%

76%

76%

75%

75%

75%

75%

75%

74%

72%

70%

64%

50%

Nevertheless, despite this overall satisfaction, there are a number of negative issues 
that young people encounter when purchasing goods online. There are several reasons 
why respondents were not fully satisfied when ordering a product online:

• Half of the young people (51%) ordered a product which arrived much later 

than indicated. 

• Almost half of the young people (49%) expected a better quality of the product.
• A quarter of the young people (25%) received a product they had not ordered.
• A quarter of the young people (25%) were not able to return the product.

47  Source: Question V2.1-2.11:  Did the following ever happen to you when you bought a product online such as 
[insert answer categories indicated in II1]? (N=21,981)

- 101 -

 
 
 
 
• A quarter of the young people (25%) ordered a product that did not arrive.
• And yet another quarter of the young people (23%) had their product stopped 
by customs or received the product broken and could not get it fixed under warranty 
(23%).

• Last but not least, 1 in 5 young Europeans (18%) received a fake product, did 
not get a refund for the returned good (17%) or were not able to make a complaint to 
the seller (21%).
The proportions of respondents experiencing problems differ between the countries. 
Countries with the five highest and lowest proportions are displayed below for the five 
most frequent problems overall.

Figure 28 Top 5 problems when purchasing physical goods online48

The product arrived 
much later than
indicated - 52%

The product was of 
lower quality than I 
expected - 48%

I could not return
the product
27%

Malta

Cyprus

Austria

Germany

Croatia

Croatia

Latvia

Malta

Bulgaria

Slovenia

Romania

Poland

Bulgaria

Spain

Greece

Sweden

Bulgaria

Portugal

Denmark

Finland

Luxembourg

United Kingdom

France

Finland

Portugal

Portugal

Ireland

Estonia

Luxembourg

Finland

72%

60%

60%

59%

58%

60%

59%

58%

58%

56%

33%

32%

32%

31%

30%

47%

47%

46%

46%

45%

44%

44%

43%

41%

37%

20%

20%

17%

16%

16%

48  Source: Question V2.1-2.11: Did the following ever happen to you when you bought a product online such as 
[insert answer categories indicated in II1]? (N=21,981)

- 102 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
The product did not
arrive
26%

The product delivered 
was not the product 
that I ordered - 26%

Malta

Croatia

Latvia

Lithuania

Estonia

Bulgaria

Romania

Latvia

Poland

Hungary

Netherlands

Sweden

Finland

Ireland

Luxembourg

Finland

Cyprus

Ireland

Luxembourg

Portugal

42%

37%

33%

30%

29%

36%

33%

30%

29%

28%

21%

21%

19%

19%

17%

20%

20%

19%

18%

17%

These experiences, both positive and negative, are further considered below, categorised 
by the source used to purchase the physical goods online. This source may have been 
legal or illegal, or in some cases respondents said they did not know if the source was 
legal or illegal when experiencing this kind of problem. Three quarters (76%) of young 
people are fully satisfied with their experiences when purchasing physical goods. Of 
these, 60% made their purchases from legal sources, with only 9% having bought from 
illegal sources and a further 7% unsure of whether the source was legal or not. 

Figure 29 Satisfaction with purchasing physical goods online – legal or illegal sources49

11% 

10% 

Fully satisfied
(total: 76%)

79% 

Legal

Illegal

I don’t know

In terms of negative experiences with purchasing goods online, again given that most 
products bought online are bought through legal sources, young people are most likely 
to report that they have both positive and negative experiences through these channels. 
That is, when an experience occurs (either positive or negative), it is most likely to be 
through a legal source given that the majority of purchases are made through these 
channels.

49  Source: Question V2.1-2.11:  Did the following already happen to you when you bought a product online such 
as [insert answer categories indicated in II1]? (N=21,981) 

- 103 -

 
The exception is the issue that the product they bought is counterfeit. This issue is only 
encountered amongst those who used illegal sources. The other negative experiences 
more  commonly  reported  when  using  illegal  sources  relate  to  inconveniencies  such 
as not being able to return the product, not being refunded when they have returned 
the product, being unable to complain and no possibility to repair the product under 
warranty when broken.

Figure 30 Negative experiences when purchasing physical goods online – legal or illegal sources50

48% 

52% 

41% 

33% 

6% 
5% 

8% 
7% 

74% 

73% 

74% 

77% 

76% 

78% 

82% 

81% 

15% 

6% 
5% 

15% 

8% 
4% 

17% 

5% 
4% 

15% 

6% 
3% 

13% 

7% 
4% 

11% 

7% 
4% 

18% 

10% 
6% 
3% 

Later delivery
than indicated

Lower
quality than
expected

Wrong product
delivered 

Not able to 
return the
product

The product
did not arrive

The product
was stopped
 by customs

The product broke
and could not 
get fixed under
 warranty 

Not able to
make a 
complaint
to the seller

The product 
was a 
counterfeit

 Product 
returned but 
not refunded

Yes, and I don’t know whether the source was legal or not

Yes, and I think the source was legal

Yes, and I think the source was illegal

No

4.4 Distinguishing legal and illegal sources for both 
digital content and physical goods 

ALTHOUGH SEARCHING FOR REVIEWS, COMMENTS AND OPINIONS ONLINE IS THE 
MOST POPULAR METHOD TO CHECK WHETHER A SOURCE IS LEGAL OR NOT, MOST 
RESPONDENTS ASSUME A SOURCE IS LEGAL IF CONTACT DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE.  
A THIRD OF RESPONDENTS SAY THEY ARE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH SITES SELLING 
COUNTERFEIT  GOODS  FROM  THOSE  SELLING  GENUINE  GOODS  AND  HALF  OF  
RESPONDENTS  INDICATED  BEING  ABLE  TO  DISTINGUISH  LEGAL  FROM  ILLEGAL 
SOURCES FOR ONLINE CONTENT.

50  Source: Question V2.1-2.11: Did the following ever happen to you when you bought a product online such as 
[insert answer categories indicated in II1]? (N=21,981)

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Intellectual Property and YouthThere are various checks that young people can make to investigate whether sources 
are  legal  or  illegal  before  making  the  decision  to  use  them  to  either  access  digital 
content or purchase goods. The survey captured the extent to which these checks are 
utilised by young people across the EU. These tools to identify the legality of a source 
are shown in Figure 30. 

• The most common check, made by 3 in 5 young people, is to search the internet 

for reviews, comments and opinions about the source. 

• In addition, almost a third (28%) of young people seek to verify the owner of 
the site and ask friends whether the source is legal. Parents and relatives are consulted 
by 12% of young people to verify the legality of a source.

When considering subgroups, there are some notable differences. Females more often 
than males inform themselves via reviews or consult parents or other relatives. Males 
more often than females look for who owns the source. Teenagers and students more 
often read reviews and comments, or consult parents or other relatives than (young) 
adults and non-students. Lower educated young people more often consult their parents 
or relatives than higher educated ones. 

Overall, almost a fifth (18%) of young people make no effort to find out if a source is 
legal or illegal. Among this group there are some differences when considering gender, 
age and education. Females, adults and higher educated young people are somewhat less 
inclined to check than males, teenagers and lower educated respondents respectively. 

There is considerable variation between countries for the proportion of young people 
who do not check the legality of their sources. Almost 3 in 10 young people in Estonia 
(29%), Slovakia (29%) and Belgium (28%) do no checking, while in Germany (12%), 
Italy (12%) and Austria (13%), this proportion is a little over 1 in 10.

Figure 31 Tools that young people use to check the legality of sources for digital content or purchasing goods51

Reviews, comments
and opinions

Check site owner

Ask friends

61% 

28% 

27% 

Ask parents/relatives

12% 

Send email if available

7% 

Other

4% 

No checks

18% 

51  Source: Question IV9: How do you check if a source (website) that offers products or digital content online is 
legal or illegal? Please tick all that apply. (N=24,213)

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Whether young people make checks or not, young people form a broad perception of 
whether a source is legal. There are a number of indicators which young people say 
they use when judging whether sites are legal, which are presented in Figure 32. 

• The most important indicator to consider a source legal, mentioned by almost 

half of all respondents (48%), is whether contact details are available.

• 39% of young people emphasise the fact that if people they know use the site, 

it is a clear reason to consider the source legal. 

• A similar proportion argues that when credit card logos or mainstream payment 

methods are displayed on payment pages, the site is legal. 

• The validity of search engine results also influence young people with just 
over a third (35%) of young people believing that when the site is one of the first results 
to appear in a search, or when negative reviews and comments are hard to find, the 
source is likely to be legal. Moreover, 31% of young people believe that when prices 
are displayed on the site it is also a good indication that the site is legal. 

• A quarter of young people believe that major brands advertisements in the 

sites is an indication of its legality. 

Figure 32 Reasons to consider source legal52

Contact details of seller
available

People I know use
this source

Credit card logos and mainstream
payment methods are displayed

Site is shown high in
search results

No bad reviews

Prices indicated

Advertisements of
major brands

Other

4%  

48%  

39%  

38%  

35%  

35%  

31%  

27%  

With regard to subgroups, differences emerge depending on gender, age, employment 
status and education. Females more often than males regard the availability of contact 
details, whether someone they know has already used the site, and payment methods 
displaying credit card logos as ways to differentiate legal from illegal sites. Teenagers 
more often than (young) adults believe that knowing someone who has already used 
the site or that credit card logos and other mainstream payment methods are displayed 
on the site are good ways to distinguish legal from illegal sites, while higher educated 
to a greater extent than lower educated young people consider credit cards and other 

52  Source: Question IV10: What makes you think that a source (website) that offers products or digital content 
online is legal? Please tick all that apply. (N=24,213)

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
mainstream payment methods as a clear signal that a site is legal. Lower educated rather 
than higher educated young people are more likely to say that knowing someone who 
has already used the site is one way to confirm a site is legal. Finally, students (more 
often than non-students) are of the opinion that knowing someone who has used a site 
is a good way to tell the difference.

Between countries, there are some differences in the indicators used to decide whether a 
website is likely to be selling genuine original goods, though the availability of contact 
details is the most commonly mentioned factor everywhere. The proportion of young 
people who assume the absence of negative reviews points to the legality of the source 
ranges from only 23% in Slovenia to 53% in Cyprus. The proportion of young people 
assuming a source is legal when credit card logos and mainstream payment methods 
are displayed is around 20% higher in Finland (58%) than the European average (38%). 
The proportion believing a source is legal when it is displayed high in search results is 
highest in the UK (48%), while knowing someone who has used a site before is most 
often mentioned by young Europeans in Denmark (51%), Ireland (49%), Finland (49%) 
and Bulgaria (49%).

So far in this section, no distinction has been made between digital content and physical 
goods. It indicates the general checks and indicators that young people use to identify 
the legality of the sources they use, whether this is to buy physical goods or access 
digital content. In the remainder of this section the distinction is made between these 
two different types of sources. 

Figure 32 illustrates the number of young people who say they can tell the difference 
between legal and illegal sources for digital content whereas Figure 33 highlights the 
degree to which respondents are confident in distinguishing between sources offering 
counterfeit or genuine goods. The certainty that young people have in these two domains 
is not the same. That is, half of young people say they can tell the difference where digital 
content is concerned, but when it comes to physical goods, only a third of young people 
can tell the difference.

Figure 33 Identifying illegal sources that offer digital content53 

25% 

24% 

51% 

Yes

No

Sometimes

53  Source: Question IV1.1 – 1.8: When you look for content online do you know whether the source (website) you 
use for using, playing, downloading or streaming provides you the content legally or illegally? (N=24,083)

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Figure 34 Identifying websites that offer counterfeit physical goods54

49% 

36% 

15% 

Yes

No

Sometimes

Male respondents more often than female say they can identify websites selling counterfeit 
goods. At the country level, the perceived ability of young people to judge the legality 
of a source is highest in Denmark (58%), Finland (58%) and the UK (57%), and lowest 
in Croatia (29%).

Table 12 Identifying illegal sources that offer digital content - profile55

Gender

Male

Female

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)

Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Income as student  

Income 

No income

58%
50%

52%

49%

44%

42%

46%

55%

51%

47%

25%
24%

24%

27%

28%

31%

25%

23%

21%

24%

54  Source: Question III1. Can you tell the difference between a website that sells only genuine (=real) products and 
a website that sells fake products or a mix of genuine and fake products? (N=24,295) 
55  Source: Question IV1.1 – 1.8: When you look for content online do you know whether the source (website) you 
use for using, playing, downloading or streaming provides you the content legally or illegally? (N=24,083)

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 13 Identifying websites that offer counterfeit physical goods - profile56

Gender

Male
Female

Employment status 

Student

Employed

Unemployed

Education level (undertaking)

Low (up to lower secondary education)
Medium (up to higher secondary education / vocational training)
High (tertiary education)

Income as student  

Income 
No income

45%
27%

37%

39%

33%

35%

33%

39%

39%

33%

14%
16%

14%

16%

18%

18%

18%

14%

14%

15%

The survey also looks at whether young people believe they have the ability to judge the 
legality of sources depending on the type of content they are trying to access. Figure 35 
highlights the proportion of young people who believe they can determine the legality 
of a source. These proportions are of those who say that they use these types of digital 
content. Users of music are most confident in their ability to determine the legality of 
the source (59%), with certainty of legality slightly less clear for users of e-books and 
e-newspapers or magazines. 

Figure 35 Knowing the difference between legal and illegal sites that offer 
different types of digital content57

56  Source: Question III1. Can you tell the difference between a website that sells only genuine (=real) products and 
a website that sells fake products or a mix of genuine and fake products? (N=24,295)
57  Source: Question IV1.1 – 1.8: When you look for content online do you know whether the source (website) you 
use for using, playing, downloading or streaming provides you the content legally or illegally? (N=24,083)

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4.5 Communication

ARGUMENTS RELATED TO PERSONAL SAFETY RATHER THAN MORAL VALUES ARE 
BETTER SUITED TO CONVINCING YOUNG PEOPLE TO THINK TWICE BEFORE USING 
ILLEGAL SOURCES OR BUYING COUNTERFEIT GOODS.

A quarter of young people say that they have intentionally used an illegal source for 
online content in the past year and slightly more than one in ten (12%) report they 
have bought counterfeit goods in the past year. To change this behaviour an effective 
communication strategy aimed at increasing young people’s awareness of Intellectual 
Property Rights (IPR) and the negative impacts of counterfeiting and piracy could form 
part of the appropriate response. For a successful communication strategy, it is necessary 
to identify the themes, which are seen as important by young people.

Based on the survey results two main themes seem to attract the attention of young 
people  and  therefore  communication  relating  to  these  two  themes  has  the  potential 
of impacting on young people’s beliefs, attitude and, ultimately, behaviour. The first 
theme relates to personal safety and risks; the second to moral values.

1. Personal safety and risks
Making people aware of the danger to which they are exposed when using illegal sources 
or buying counterfeit goods through infecting their computers with viruses, risking a 
fine or a bad quality product/service.

2. Moral values
Making  people  aware  of  the  damage  they  cause  to  the  community,  the  artists,  the 
companies and to others when using illegal sources for online content or purchasing 
counterfeit goods. 

These themes are represented in the following figure, with those relating to personal 
safety highlighted in green and those associated with moral values in red. It is clear 
from the figure that it is the statements that can be considered to be ‘personal safety’ 
aspects that carry more weight than those relating to ‘moral values’. However, both 
seem to be relevant.

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Intellectual Property and YouthFigure 36 Reasons that would (probably) make you think twice58

Your credit card 

details could be stolen84%

You risk  your computer 
or device being infected 

by viruses or malware 78%

You risk a fine 

or another sanction76%

When you buy a counterfeit 
product which does not work 
properly you don’t have a 
guarantee 

74%

Money spent on counterfeit 
products goes to 

organised crime72%

48%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

58%

Counterfeit products can 
be bad for the environment

60%

Artists/creators and 
the team behind them 
may be harmed

66%

Illegal offers of content 
or products can cost your
friend/relative their job

70%

Counterfeit products can 
be bad for your health 
or even dangerous

The top 5 arguments which could bring young people to reconsider59 their behaviour 
are:

• A large majority (84%) of young people are afraid that their credit card details 
might be stolen when using illegal sources or purchasing counterfeit goods. This is the 
top reason why respondents would stop using illegal sources. However, looking at the 
experiences young people encountered with online content, theft of credit card details 
does not seem to be very common when using an illegal source (reported by 6% of 
young people). This may of course be linked to the fact that illegal offers of online 
content are very often free of charge and no payment details need to be entered. More 
women (88% vs 81% men) think that they would have second thoughts about their 
behaviour if their credit card details were stolen. In addition, teenagers (86% vs 85% 
young adults vs 82% adults) and students (85% vs 79% unemployed vs 82% employed) 
are more likely to rethink their behaviour when they consider possible theft of their 
credit card details.

• More than three quarters of young people (78%) would think twice before 
using illegal sources when considering the risk that their computer or device becomes 
infected by malware or viruses. This seems to be a reasonable argument, since 19% of 
young people have already experienced problems with viruses or malware when accessing 
an illegal source. The risk of their device becoming infected would make more women 
(83%) reconsider their behaviour than men (73%). This would also have more impact 
on teenagers (80% vs 79% young adults vs 77% adults) and students (80% vs 73% 
unemployed vs 75% employed). 

• Risking a fine or other sanction is a good reason to rethink their behaviour 

58  Source: Question IV11.1 – 11.10: What would make you think twice before using, playing, downloading or 
streaming content from an illegal source (website) or before buying a fake product online? (N=23,100)
59 Includes those who said ‘yes’ and ‘yes – probably’.

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for more than three quarters of young people (76%). Women (81% vs 70% men) and 
students  (77%  vs  69%  unemployed  vs  72%  employed)  are  more  likely  to  say  they 
would rethink their behaviour when risking a fine.

•  Another  74%  of  young  people  declared  they  would  reconsider  a  purchase 
from an illegal source because counterfeit goods do not have a guarantee in the event 
of a malfunction. This would have the most impact on female young people (77% vs 
70% male).

•  Knowing  that  money  spent  on  counterfeit  goods  goes  to  organised  crime 
would make 72% of the respondents think twice about using illegal sources or buying 
counterfeit goods. This would have more impact on women (74%) than men (69%), 
with no other major differences between socio-demographic groups. 

Quantitative results compared to qualitative findings

The other narrative – that pertaining to moral values - also appears to have potential 
to reach the target group of young people in Europe. Even though these reasons are 
not as prevalent amongst young people, nevertheless the majority still agree that these 
reasons would make them reflect on their behaviour. Only one statement seems less 
impactful, with less than half of young people indicating it would have an influence 
on them. 

•  Seven  out  of  ten  (70%)  respondents  would  not  buy  counterfeit  products  if 
they knew that these products could be bad for their health or even dangerous. Again, 
women (75% vs 65% men), students (71% vs 64% unemployed vs 65% employed) and 
higher educated young people (73% vs 71% medium vs 67% lower) are most likely to 
say they would be influenced by this argument.

• A smaller proportion (66%) of respondents would reconsider their behaviour 
if it would jeopardise the job of a relative or friend. Women (71% vs 61% men), teenagers 
(69% vs 67% young adults vs 63% adults) and students (68% vs 58% unemployed vs 
64% employed) would be especially influenced by this factor.

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
•  The  knowledge  that  the  artist  or  creator  and  the  team  behind  them  could 
be harmed would make 60% of the young people reflect about using illegal sources 
or buying counterfeit goods. Socio-demographic differences are mostly insignificant, 
though women (62%) say more often than men (58%) that this would make them reconsider 
ordering via an illegal source.

• More than half of young people (58%) would rethink the purchase of counterfeit 
goods if they knew that it could be bad for the environment. Women (62%) are the 
only demographic group which stands out in this respect.
Less than half (48%) of young people would stop buying counterfeit goods or using 
illegal sources for online content simply because “it is not cool”.

Quantitative results compared to qualitative findings

The above highlights what messages may be the most effective for a general EU-wide  
communication campaign. However, there is country variation when looking at which 
type  of  argument  would  convince  young  people  to  think  twice  before  using  illegal 
sources or purchasing counterfeit goods. Any national-level communication could take 
these variations into account to tailor communication to be most effective amongst 
young people in that country. The positioning map below illustrates all countries of the 
EU. Four groups can be distinguished:

• The ones in the upper right corner score high on both moral values and personal 
safety and are the easiest to convince to think twice before using illegal sources or 
purchasing counterfeit goods. Estonia and the Netherlands are the best examples of 
this group.

• The ones in the lower left corner are the opposites of the first group. They 
score both low on moral values and personal safety, which means that both types of 
arguments will hardly convince them to think twice. Their behaviour is highly likely 
to be inflexible. The most extreme case here is Romania.

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• The third group, the upper left corner, consists of countries where respondents 
score high on personal safety arguments, but low on moral arguments. They can be 
described as cautious because they care about their personal safety. Within this group, 
Denmark scores the highest on personal safety.

• The last group, the lower right corner, consists of countries where respondents 
can  be  called  moralist,  because  moral  reasons  would  more  likely  make  them  think 
twice than arguments related to personal safety. Respondents from Cyprus are the best 
examples, but also respondents from Luxembourg, Croatia and Slovenia fit this group.

Positioning map

Cautious

To convince

Inflexible

Moralist
t

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
5. Conclusions of the 
research

Intellectual Property and Youth

From the conducted qualitative and quantitative research amongst young people in 
the 28 EU Member States, it has become clear that there are substantial behavioural 
differences  between  using  illegal  sources  for  digital  content  and  buying  counterfeit 
products. 

Even though more than one in ten (12%) reported having intentionally bought counterfeit 
goods online in the past 12 months, an important majority are not interested in buying 
counterfeit products and pointed out several reasons why they do not want them and, 
as such, do not look for them. On the contrary, they try to avoid buying counterfeit 
goods and they are open to more information on how to distinguish counterfeit from 
genuine products. They admitted that they lack the tools to recognise counterfeits on 
the internet. They rely on check points to evaluate the website, but these checks are no 
guarantee on the products the website offers. More information to help them avoiding 
buying counterfeit products seems to be desirable. 

Young Europeans prove to think completely differently about digital content. One in 
four (25%) admitted to having intentionally used illegal sources to access digital content 
in the past year. 

Music is the most popular digital content that young people access, with almost all 
young  people  streaming  or  downloading  this  content  (97%).  However,  only  a  little 
over half (56%) of young people who use illegal sources are doing so to access music 
content. Films/series is the second most accessed content (95%): however, it is most 
likely to be the digital content accessed by those who use illegal sources (85%). Games 
are the third most accessed content (91%): however, only 29% of those intentionally 
using illegal sources access games. This is due to the fact that games are not one-time 
experiences, but are played during a longer period. On top of that, games bought legally 
contain an important reward as they will contain all the software needed to play the 
game online with their friends. 
Young  people  indicated  they  do  not  necessarily  want  to  download  digital  content. 
Unless  they  intend  to  use  the  digital  content  in  situations  where  they  will  not  be 
able to connect to the internet, they prefer to stream content (56% streaming vs 27% 
downloading). They also reported that they do not feel that streaming music of videos 
is illegal behaviour. Young people also stream sport events because these events are 
real-time experiences. Not only is it important to watch sport live, it is also a one-time 
experience: it is pointless downloading the sports event as they will never watch it 
again. Even more so than music or films, young people seem to consider sport events 
as ‘throw away content’.

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Intellectual Property and YouthEven though some young people are familiar with the notion of IP, they do not necessarily 
take this into account in their actions. For some young people, using illegal sources for 
digital content is a practice that has become anchored in their daily life. 

In  terms  of  what  are  the  drivers  motivating  young  people  to  access  digital  content 
or  buy  counterfeit  goods  from  illegal  sources,  price  is  a  key  element  behind  young 
people’s decision-making. At the same time, the availability of affordable content or 
a  product  from  legal  sources  is  the  most  important  condition  mentioned  by  young 
people when asked what would motivate them to stop using illegal sources or buying 
counterfeit goods.

Concerning digital content, current trends may support a switch to using legal sources.  
The young people in the study expressed clearly their approval of easy-to-use legal 
streaming  solutions  such  as  Spotify  and  Netflix.  Starting  with  a  free  version  with  
advertisements,  they  may  switch  to  a  paying  version  as  they  long  for  more  user- 
friendliness  and  premium  options  such  as  no  advertisements  and  the  possibility  to 
download music. 

Whilst price is one of the biggest motivating factors influencing young people’s decision 
to buy physical goods online or access digital content, quality, trust and safety are 
other important considerations. These factors are not only important when purchasing 
goods or accessing content, they also seem to influence young people to choose legal 
sources. Quality is the most important reason refraining young people from buying 
counterfeit goods which are considered to be of lower quality. Trust and safety also 
play an important role. Young people attach great importance to the payment methods, 
a  trustworthy  vendor  and  the  site  in  general  being  safe.  Furthermore,  they  want  to 
avoid viruses and malware at all times and they are open to using legal sources if it 
strongly reduces the risks on viruses or malware. These are reasons to choose legal 
vendors and sources which they trust more. Besides the quality of the offers and safety 
of the sources, the risk of punishment has the potential to positively influence young 
people’s decisions to choose legal offers, with almost three in ten young people indicating 
this as a reason to stop using illegal sources for goods and content. 

An  important  element  in  further  stimulating  the  use  of  legal  content  and  genuine 
physical goods may be the creation of discussions on the topic to increase awareness. 
Therefore, it seems essential to keep the tone of voice positive or neutral and to distinguish 
different forms of digital content.
Young people pointed out three ambassadors from a number of examples that would 

- 117 -

be best to deliver communication on IP: local artists, real consumers and schools. In 
the communication, young Europeans  prefer to hear  about real stories  about artists 
and consumers harmed by counterfeiting and piracy. They also want concrete and factual 
information about the websites that are closed down. Messages need to be neutral, not 
moralising, enabling young people to form their own opinion. 

They also expressed an interest in learning what is behind the business model of illegal 
sites and how the remuneration system works as it would give them more insight into 
the consequences of using pirated sites or buying counterfeits for artists, producers, 
entrepreneurs, etc. 

Only  a  very  small  minority  of  young  people  using  illegal  sources  say  that  nothing 
would make them think twice before using illegal sources or buying counterfeit goods. 
This implies that the majority can be influenced by effective and impactful communication 
coupled with other initiatives like improving the accessibility of legal offers. Arguments 
relating to safety and risks (‘your credit card details could be stolen’, ‘you risk your 
computer or device becoming infected by viruses or malware’, ‘you risk a fine or another 
sanction’) seem to have the potential to make an impact. Counter to this, arguments 
relating  to  image  or  social  responsibility  show  a  lower  potential  impact  (‘fakes  and 
piracy are not cool’, ‘fake products can be bad for the environment’, ‘Artists/creators 
and the team behind them may get harmed’). Nevertheless, those arguments could still 
make some impact, particularly in some countries. 

A complicating factor in any effort to encourage young people to choose legal offers is 
that young people indicate that they find it hard to judge the legality of a source. They 
have  several  strategies  to  help  them  judge  the  legality,  of  which  checking  reviews, 
comments and opinions about the site is the most important one. Yet they clearly ask 
for extra guidance on how to determine the legality of a source.

To sum up the results of both qualitative and quantitative parts of the report, a good 
offer in terms of price and availability coupled with a well-designed communication 
campaign  including  safety  and  moral  arguments  as  well  as  information  on  what  is 
legal and what is not and why, provided in a neutral tone and delivered by the right 
ambassadors, is likely to be the most effective way to change the behaviours and attitudes 
of young people towards IP infringement. 

- 118 -

Intellectual Property and Youth6. Appendix 1: 
Discussion Guide

Intellectual Property and Youth

Focus groups

YOUTH IP perception and online behaviour related to IP 

DISCUSSION GUIDE

•  Learn  about  young  people’s  perception  and  behaviour  with 
regard  to  searching/accessing/downloading/streaming/  using 
content  online  and  buying  products  online  and  understanding 
their possible motivation and choices for ordering fake/original 
products or accessing digital content from legal/illegal sources.

• Explore their information and communication needs in relation 
to counterfeiting and piracy.

Key challenge

Digital content
• Create a journey map for searching, accessing, downloading, 
streaming  and  using  content  online  (music,  films/series,  TV 
shows and sport, games, e-books, e-newspapers and magazines,  
educational content, etc.) in relation to legal/illegal sources.
•  Understand  drivers  and  barriers  with  regard  to  searching,  
accessing and using legal/illegal sources of digital content.

Key objectives of 
the research

Physical goods
• Create a journey map for searching and ordering (buying) original 
and fake products online. 
• Understand drivers and barriers with regard to buying original 
and fake products.

Communication
• Map young people’s desired communication approach regarding 
counterfeiting and piracy.

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
  Section 1: Intro (15 minutes)

Purpose: 
In this section, we want to introduce the purpose of the research and create a good group 
atmosphere.

Explanation
(5 minutes)

Group intro
(10 minutes)

Stimuli: whiteboard

– Explanation to the participants concerning:
• Topic: online behaviour
• Duration
• Privacy (recording, client room, etc.)
• No right or wrong answers; every opinion is important
• Mobile devices
• Food and drinks

– Introduction of the moderator 
– Introduction of the participants:
   • First name
   • Age
   • Hobbies
   • What do you order, access, use, stream, download, etc.? 
(physical goods and digital content)

  Section 2: Journey map online digital content (20 minutes)

Purpose:

Understand what channels young people use for online entertainment/accessing, streaming, 
downloading, ordering and why they choose these channels.   
Remarks:

Extra attention to differences between men and women and between younger and older age 
groups.

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Type of online 
content
(3 minutes)

Stimuli: 
whiteboard

Decision tree
(17 minutes)

Stimuli: 
whiteboard, 
paper + pens

As  you  know,  we  will  be  discussing  online  behaviour,  notably 
in relation to counterfeiting and piracy today (explain what are 
counterfeiting and piracy). First of all, when you go online…
– What do you do online? What type of content do you use? 
MODERATOR: write down the different types of content (music, 
films/series, TV shows and sport, games, e-books, e-newspapers 
and magazines, educational content, etc.)
– Today we will talk, in particular, about five specific types of 
online digital content:
• Music
• Films, series
• TV shows & sport 
• Games
• E-books, e-newspapers and magazines
MODERATOR: write these topics on the white board.

SEARCH PROCESS
– How do you search for online content?
–  Exercise:  each  participant  draws  his  “decision  tree”  (=all  the 
different  steps  they  take  and  decisions  they  make  when  they 
consult online content) for all online content that is relevant to 
them.  If  they  have  different  decision  trees  per  type  of  content 
(e.g. music vs films), they must draw different trees per type of 
content they have searched for in the past 12 months.

Afterwards the decision trees are discussed in groups.

MODERATOR: ask the following questions while discussing the 
decision trees:
• Do you deliberately go online to find this content or is it more 
coincidental (e.g. a friend sent you a link to a song by e-mail)? 
• What triggers you to go and get this information online (instead 
of in a brick and mortar shop for example)?
• Do you know in advance exactly what content you are looking 
for?
• How do you start looking online? What does your search pro-
cess look like?
• Where do you start looking?
•  If  you  start  with  a  search  engine  like  Google  or  Bing,  what 
websites or types of websites are you looking for? Are you looking 
for  a  specific  website  to  go  to  next?  How  important  are  these 
search engines for your search?

- 122 -

Intellectual Property and YouthCHANNELS USED

–  For  each  content  type  (music,  films/series,  e-books,  TV  & 
sport, games): 
     • What channels do you use to get this content (e.g. YouTube, 
Spotify, iTunes, search engines like Google, artist´s own website, 
sports team´s website, etc.)? 
MODERATOR:  write  down  the  different  channels  on  the  
whiteboard. Discuss them after.
     • How do you access this content (downloading streaming, 
buying, etc.)?

Select the four most popular channels for your country and ask 
for these channels: 
       • Why do you use this channel? 
          •  What  are  the  benefits  of  this  channel?  What  are  the 
downsides? 
       • What or who influences your choice for this channel?
      • How did you find out about this channel (Facebook, a 
friend, a blogger, a magazine, etc.)?

  Section 3: Drivers online content (25 minutes)

Purpose: 
Understand whether young people make/know a difference between legal and illegal sources, 
what is their experience and what are their motivations to choose one or another.
Remarks: 
Focus is on experience with both legal and illegal sources and motivation that pushes either 
to one or to another (price, timing of new releases, rigid format, etc.) (Stress that there is no 
judgment towards illegal sources.)

- 123 -

 
 
Choice drivers
(25 minutes)

Stimuli: whiteboard

MODERATOR: show the participants the overview of the online 
channels you wrote on the whiteboard.

ILLEGAL VS. LEGAL sources (use “sources” instead of “sites” 
throughout the whole questionnaire)
MODERATOR: take the list of different channels mentioned by 
the participants.

  • Explain the use of the terms legal source/legal content and 
illegal sources/illegal content:
“Legal sources” are considered sites that are authorised to or not 
legally prevented from offering content/products/services. “Illegal 
sources” are those that are prevented by law from offering/selling 
the content/products/services in question. 
(MODERATOR: mark the sources (websites) which are believed 
to be legal and illegal with a different colour).
  • We have discussed several sites that we use to access content. 
Can you tell which of these are authorised to provide content 
and which ones are not?

Do you care whether a source is legal or not?
  • If you access online content, is it always clear to you if this 
content is offered legally or not? Why (not)? 
  • How can you recognise an illegal source? How is it different 
to a legal source?

Why would you go to the legal source and why would you go 
to the illegal one?
  • If not mentioned spontaneously, explicitly ask about the role 
of:
   availability (newest releases), diversity (different format,
   content consumption, countries, languages, payment, etc.),   
   quality (how do you understand quality).

ILLEGAL SOURCES
Rational experience
• Why do you go to the illegal sources?
• What are the main benefits of these sources?
• How satisfied are you about these sources? Why?
• How would you rate the accessibility of these sources?
• What are the downsides of these sources?

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Intellectual Property and Youth• Does it matter to you that these are illegal sources?
• What would make you go to the legal sites?

LEGAL SOURCES
Rational experience

• Why do you go to the legal sites?
• What are the main benefits of these sites?
• How satisfied are we about these sites? Why?
• How would we rate the accessibility of these sites?
• What are the downsides of these sites? What could be 
improved?
• Does it matter to you that these sources are legal or illegal?
• What would make you go to the illegal sources?

  Section 4: Journey map online purchase of products (physical goods) (40 minutes)

Purpose: 
Understand the online shopping behaviour of the participants and, related to that, their experiences 
and motivations for buying fake or original products. 

We have talked about online content for some time now, let’s 
change the subject! Let’s talk about online purchase of products 
like handbags, clothes, watches, medication, cosmetics, footwear, 
sportswear, electronic devices, CDs and DVDs or whatever products 
you can buy online.

ONLINE PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR
• What kind of products do you mainly buy online?
•  What  is  important  for  you  when  you  want  to  buy  products 
online? (Price? Delivery speed? Trust in a shop/brand (trust that 
you get what you paid for)?)  

EXERCISE: ONLINE SHOPPING
Ok, let’s do something different now… 

MODERATOR: divide the group into 2 smaller groups (4 participants 
each). Each group will be instructed to buy a specific product 
online.

Online webshops
(40 minutes)

Stimuli: 
2 laptops with 
internet access

- 125 -

 
• In each group, 2 participants will do a simulation of a purchase. 
They will go online and talk out about every step they take, why 
they take that step, why they open a specific link and not another 
link,  their  first  impression  of  an  online  shop  (MODERATOR:  or 
any other kind of website that sells products), why they look further 
for other sites which sell products or not, every thought or remark 
that comes up in their mind
• The other 2 participants of each group will be observers; they 
will take notes of the search and decision process of those who 
simulate the purchase.

After you have explained the exercise, ask the “searchers” to leave 
the  room  so  you  can  brief  the  “observers”  on  what  topics  they 
should focus on. After this, the “searchers” can come back in the 
interview room and start their search. The searchers have 10 minutes 
to search online.

Topics the observers focus on:
• Approach and steps in the search process (e.g. search engine or 
directly to a specific website). Easy to find your way?
• Type of online shops/sites where products are being sold that 
are selected from the search results
• Choice for online shops with legal or illegal products/familiarity 
with online shops that sell products illegally.
• Look and credibility of the online shops that are visited.

Story: 1 group of searchers has to buy a gift for their mother. The 
other group of searchers has to buy a gift for their father. (type of 
product to be determined)

Afterwards both groups share their experiences.
• How did you start your search process? Why?
• Was it easy to find a site where the product was sold? How did 
you handle this?
• What criteria were important in your choice for a specific online 
shop/site?
• Did you also find sites/online shops that sell fake products in your 
search? How did you identify these online shops/sites with fake 
products? How can you tell if an online shop/site is trustworthy? 
What elements do you look for? What elements give the impression 
that an online shop sells fake

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Intellectual Property and Youthproducts?  (MODERATOR:  if  the  participants  have  no  idea,  let 
them search for websites with fake products online and let them 
give their feedback afterwards.)
• Were you sure whether the product you bought was a real or a 
fake? How?
• How do you check this if you are not sure? What are the elements 
that suggest a legal site/legal product? What are the elements that 
suggest an illegal site/illegal product?
• Are there also other means to find out whether an online shop/
site sells fake products or not? If so, what are they?
•  How  do  you  feel  about  websites/online  shops  that  sell  fake 
products?
• Do you care that the products are fake or original? (If it depends 
on the product, please indicate the product and your reasons why 
(not).)
• Why would you go to the legal one and why would go to the 
illegal one? 
   If not mentioned spontaneously, explicitly ask about the role 
in buying fakes of:
   A conviction that buying fakes is a “smart purchase” and “act 
of  protest  against  big  brands  and  a  market-driven  economy” 
(and any other explanations).

EXPERIENCE WITH BUYING ORIGINAL PRODUCTS
Have you ever purchased original product online? What is your 
experience (quality/price/delivery/accessibility of website/customer 
service, etc.)?

EXPERIENCE WITH BUYING FAKE PRODUCTS
•  Have  you  ever  knowingly  purchased  fakes/have  you  ever  
purchased from a site that you know sells fakes?  Tell  us  more 
about your experience. 
• How is it different from purchasing original products online?
• Have you ever purchased original products online that turned 
out to be fake products? How did it make you feel?
• How did you find out?
• What did you do?
• Do you think it is clear enough where you can buy fakes and 
where originals? And how do you assess that (customer service, 
address, etc.)?
• What would make you go to the sites that sell originals?

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  Section 5: Communication regarding counterfeiting and piracy (illegally 
 offered content and products / counterfeit products) (15 minutes)

Purpose: 
Gain insights in desired communication approach and messages on the topic of counterfeiting 
and piracy.

Evaluation 
of current 
information
(8 minutes)

We have been talking about illegal content on the Internet and 
online shops that sell fake products or offer products illegally.

• Have you ever received information about these topics? What 
information? How? Where?
• Have you ever heard about intellectual property? Do you know 
what this means?
• How did you evaluate this information? (usefulness, relevance 
for you, content, etc.)

• Would you be interested in more communication in this respect 
and how?
 - Content: positive and negative (scary, ironic, funny, factual)
 - Channel? (social media, TV, radio, press, school)
 - Other?

Information needs
(7 minutes)

What would make you change your behaviour? (Examples: changing 
the  way  products  are  offered/priced,  nothing,  legal  sanctions,  
somebody I trust speak about it, bad experiences with ordering 
fake products or accessing content from illegal sources, etc.:

• Specific celebrities? Specific organizations? Specific bloggers? 
Teachers?  Family  members?  Other  (someone  who  lost  their  job 
due to illegal offers of content/products, mother whose child was 
hurt by a fake toy)?

 Section 6: Outro (5 minutes) 

Purpose:

Résumé and thank you

Closure
(5 minutes)

• Check for extra questions in the client room
• Resume most important ideas, and check with group
• Exchange thank you

- 128 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
7. Appendix 2: 
Country Reports

Intellectual Property and Youth

Focus groups report

AUSTRIA

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Legal sources are widely used. 
• Young people feel safe using illegal sources, because they know 
there are no heavy sanctions, but still they prefer using legal sources.

General perception

Legal Sources

• Perceived difference between legal and illegal sources offering digital 
content?
   - Young people find it difficult to differentiate between legal and 
illegal sources. 
   - They think that the more up-to-date the content is, the more 
likely it is that the source is illegal. 
• Private use of illegal sources is perceived as common practice and 
merely a small-scale offence which does not cause great harm.

Drivers 
    - Morals are important when young people decide to use a legal 
source. They want to do the right thing. 
Barriers 
     - Legal sources sometimes split content, for example one episode 
of a series into multiple videos. This means having to search for/
download different files and wasting time. 

Illegal Sources

Drivers 
     - Illegal sources are usually easier to access than legal sources.

Channels

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: YouTube, Steam, Netflix, Red Bull Rampage,  Maxdome
     - Illegal: iTube
• Young people prefer to use legal sources, but they often do not 
provide the content they are looking for.

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Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Young people perceive someone obtaining financial gains from 
forgery or deceit as negative and immoral. 
• They do not think about purchasing counterfeit goods.
• They do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods. 
• Young people perceive manufacturers’ official websites always to 
be trustworthy.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments from other buyers.
• The most important thing for young people is not to be deceived, 
which means being sure that you purchase a genuine product when 
a genuine product is advertised.
• The country from which the goods are dispatched is seen as an 
important factor when young people determine whether a website 
is trustworthy or not.

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

BELGIUM

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people mention more excuses (rationalisations) for using 
illegal sources compared to other countries.
• Young people often do not know where to find legal sources.

•  Young  people  think  it  is  “not  right”  to  use  illegal  sources,  but 
they do it anyway. They mention different excuses to explain their 
choices:
   - If they worked, they would have money and then they would be 
willing to pay to access legal sources. 
   - They buy band merchandise when going to concerts, which also 
provides income for the artists.

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

- 131 -

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Drivers 
        -  The  willingness  to  pay  for  legal  sources  is  more  present  if  
artists appear close to the young people that buy their music. They 
will more often buy music from a small band because they feel the 
money will not go to large multinational companies.
Barriers 
          -  Content  cannot  be  downloaded  from  legal  sources  the  
participants say. It can only be watched by streaming and therefore 
you need a working internet connection to use.
Drivers 
     - They use illegal sources to make sure that they do not pay for 
content they do not like. 
     - Young people can watch content without being connected to 
the internet if they downloaded it to their computer. It is easy to use 
and they can delete it when they do not need it anymore.
Barriers
      - Illegal sources are often blocked by the government.
• Most popular channels: 
          -  Legal:  YouTube,  Shazam,  Spotify,  iTunes,  hln,  Instagram,  
Netflix, Steevie, Vine, Sporza…
     - Illegal: Torrent, Kickass, Downloads.nl, Popcorntime, Cucirka, 
YouTube MP3 Converter, Pirate Bay…
• If legal and illegal sources offer the same content for the same 
price, young people prefer to use the legal source, otherwise they 
use illegal sources.
• Young people know a lot of legal sources, but they do not use 
them. This is because illegal sources are easier to access and offer 
the content for free. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
•  Young  people  think  it  is  fine  for  websites  to  offer  counterfeit 
goods  provided  that  they  do  not  deceive  people  or  ask  for  high 
prices.
•  They  think  that  counterfeit  products  are  good  alternatives  for 
very expensive genuine goods.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people look for customer service details or a contact page 
when they want to know if a site is trustworthy. 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.

- 132 -

Intellectual Property and Youth•  The  most  important  thing  for  young  people  is  not  to  be  
deceived,  which  means  being  sure  that  they  buy  a  genuine  
product when a genuine product is advertised.

What  experience  did  respondents  have  with  counterfeit  
products? 
•  The  participants  have  no  experience  with  purchasing  
counterfeit goods online.

Experience

BULGARIA

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
•  Young  people  do  not  think  that  using  illegal  sources  has  any  
negative consequences. 
•  Legal  sources  are  often  not  available.  The  sources  that  are  
accessible are often illegal.

• The participants have developed their own criteria to determine 
whether a source is legal or not:
    - Legal sources provide content permanently, while content from 
illegal sources is deleted immediately. 
    - Content from illegal sources is expected to be free and the quality 
of content varies but is generally low.

Barriers 
     - Not many legal sources are available, especially in terms of 
watching films or TV shows.

Drivers 
     - Illegal sources provide Bulgarian subtitles, most legal sources 
don’t.

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: YouTube, Shazam, Soundcloud, Vbox7.com, Spotify, 
Steam, Origin, Games company, Playstore
     - Illegal: iTube
• Young people know a lot of legal sources, but they do not use 
them. This is because illegal sources are easier to access and free.

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

- 133 -

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit 
goods?
•  Young  people  feel  somehow  threatened  because  illegal  sources 
can be deceiving. They feel it is hard to find differences between 
sources offering counterfeit and genuine goods. 

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Terms of payment
    - Terms of delivery
    - The possibility of returning a product
• In general the participants do not tend to buy counterfeit goods. 
They seem to make an exception for several products (e.g. T-shirts, 
perfume) when purchasing them for own use.  

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive:
        -  One  participant  bought  a  counterfeit  product.  He  called  the 
website’s representatives, returned the product and got his money 
refunded.

CROATIA

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people know that they use illegal sources, but they try to 
justify their reasons for doing so.

General perception

• Young people think the difference between legal and illegal sources 
is very unclear. 

Legal Sources

• Young people seem to give little thought about the legality of the 
source.

- 134 -

Intellectual Property and YouthIllegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

•  They  mention  different  excuses  than  other  countries  for  using 
illegal sources:
     - “I care about authors, but not so much that I would pay”.
     - The content is already released and available to anyone.
     - They already have to pay for the internet.
      -  If  the  content  is  used  for  private  purpose  only,  the  use  of  
illegal sources is not seen as harmful.
• Most popular channels: 
          -  Legal:  YouTube,  Vimeo,  Project  Gutenberg,  Libri  Vox,  
Soundcloud, Amazon, Supersport
          -  Illegal:  Megashare,  Putlocker,  Mega  Series,  Pirate  Bay,  
Torrents, Kickass, Iso Hunt, Watch series, Scribd
• Young people know a lot of legal sources, but they do not use 
them.  They  know  even  more  illegal  sources  which  they  use  on  a 
daily basis.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit 
goods?
• Young people do not have a negative opinion about sources offering 
counterfeit goods, they consider it normal.
•  They  generally  consider  buying  counterfeit  goods  as  smart  
purchases.
•  If  they  pay  a  small  amount  of  money,  they  do  not  care  if  the  
product is counterfeit or not. 

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
•  Young  people  are  very  careful  when  buying  something  online. 
They want to make sure that they do not get deceived. 
•  Websites  selling  their  own  brands  and  websites  with  a  good  
reputation are often perceived as trustworthy. 
• They only buy counterfeit goods when the price is low and the 
risks are small.

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
•  One  participant  bought  a  counterfeit  Ice  Watch.  She  liked  it  
because  of  the  design.  She  knew  it  was  counterfeit  when  she  
purchased it, so she did not feel deceived when the watch arrived. 

- 135 -

CYPRUS

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• None of the participants use legal sources for buying or downloading 
products, services or content.

General perception

Legal Sources

• Perceived difference between legal and illegal sources offering digital 
content?
    -  Content  from  illegal  sources  is  often  associated  with  
plagiarism.
      - These illegal sources are not legally allowed to offer content, 
products or services. The law prevents them from offering content, 
products or services.

• Young people search for a CC-symbol or a license on sources to 
be sure that the sources they use are legal. In other countries young 
people do not really look for these things.

Illegal Sources

• Sometimes illegal sources do not deliver what is expected. They 
do not provide the content they claim to offer. 

Channels

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: YouTube, eBay
     - Illegal: tainiesonline.com
• Young people say they use a lot of illegal sources, but when asked 
which sources they use they only mentioned one illegal source. 

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Online purchase of counterfeit goods

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Counterfeit goods are often seen as inferior to the original, but 
still provide sufficient quality.
• They do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• You do not have to buy counterfeit goods. It is better and easier 
to buy cheaper alternatives that are not imitations.
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.

- 136 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive:
     - The counterfeit product could be used in the same way as the 
original and the quality was less important. According to the buyer 
the main difference was that the product did not have a brand logo.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• Young people do not seem to have any awareness about legal and 
illegal sources. They do not seem to care about the issue.
• Young people mention as an excuse that “everybody” in their age 
group uses illegal sources.
• They think that only the organizations behind illegal sources will 
be punished.
•  Users  of  legal  sources  are  sometimes  offered  a  full  customer  
experience. They can create a personal profile; they can chat with 
other users. Legal sources have a more personal approach.
• Illegal sources do not mention the author or artist of the content.
• Illegal sources violate the law when they share content. 
• Most popular channels: 
          -  Legal:  Steam,  YouTube,  Spotify,  Eurosport  online,  Uloz.to, 
TrackID, Google Play
• The difference between legal and illegal sources is seen as a grey 
area. Legal sources may be perceived as illegal if the content they 
provide is seen as “illegal”, for instance an “illegal” video may be 
uploaded to YouTube, which is seen as a legal source.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit 
goods?
• Counterfeit products are perceived as “awkward” and embarrassing. 
• It seems to be unacceptable to use counterfeit goods. Participants 
are only willing to buy counterfeit electronic goods.
• The organization offering the counterfeit goods should mention 
on their website that the goods are not genuine. If they do not do 
this, it is perceived as a fraudulent and deceptive business practice. 

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

- 137 -

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people look for contact details. 
• They try to collect the goods in person.
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Negative:
     - One participant bought a TV-controller, but did not know it 
was counterfeit. The controller did not work.
     - Another participant bought a mobile phone, the components 
were not original. He complained and received an original phone.

DENMARK

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Legal sources are mostly used.
• They choose to use 1-2 legal sources and additionally 1-2 illegal 
sources. They only use the illegal sources if the legal sources do not 
offer what they are looking for.

General perception

• There are no real alternatives for the illegal sources they use. They 
would have to subscribe to multiple legal sources, but this would be 
particularly expensive.

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Drivers
     - Young people have a clear conscience when they use legal 
sources. They prefer to play by the rules.

Drivers
      - Illegal sources are subtitled in Danish. Most legal sources are 
not.

Channels

• Most popular channels: 
          -  Legal: YouTube,  Amazon,  Politiken.dk,  Hola.com,  TV2Play, 
Spotify, Netflix, Steam, Soundcloud…
          -  Illegal:  Pirate  Bay,  YouTube  Converter,  Letmewatchthis.cn, 
Popcorntime, Watchseries.net…
• Young people prefer to use legal sources, but they often do not 
provide the content they are looking for. 

- 138 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Only one of the participants does not have issues about purchasing 
counterfeit goods. 
•  The  other  participants  do  not  want  to  buy  counterfeit  goods  
because they do not trust the sources offering these goods. 
• The participants do not judge people who buy counterfeit goods. 
They only think that people offering counterfeit goods online de-
ceive others and can never be trustworthy.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• The participants evaluate the delivery process and the refund po-
licy to be sure that they will not get deceived. 
• Young people find it important that they can directly contact the 
online store.
• They are very careful when buying something online. They want 
to make sure that they do not get deceived.

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive:
     - One girl bought counterfeit make-up. She knew that it was not 
completely legal, but she got the products she wanted.
• Negative:
     - Another participant clicked on a Facebook advertisement and 
bought nutritional supplements at a very low price. She was forced 
to cancel the subscription after receiving the first jar. Otherwise, she 
would have had to pay 1,000 DKK for the next delivery.

ESTONIA

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• Young people do not seem to have detailed knowledge about legal 
and illegal sources. The main difference made is between paid and 
free sources.

General perception

• Some illegal sources are widely accepted. Young people mention 
that everybody in their age group uses illegal sources as an excuse.

- 139 -

Legal Sources

Drivers
     - The willingness to pay for content from legal sources is more 
present  if  artists  appear  close  to  the  young  people  that  buy  their 
music. They will more often buy music from a small band because 
they feel the money will not go to large multinational companies.
     - Users of legal sources are offered a full customer experience. 
They can create a personal profile; they can chat with other users… 
Legal sources have a more personal approach.

Illegal Sources

Drivers
      - The use of illegal sources is seen as normal. 

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Soundhound, AppStore, 
Ebscohost.com, Kanal2, TV3Play, ETV
     - Illegal: Popcorntime, Pirate Bay, Torrent, Kickass
• Young people do not seem to care whether a source is legal or not, 
as long as it is free. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• They do not think about purchasing counterfeit goods.
• They do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods.

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• Young people think it is difficult to see the difference between 
a  website  that  offers  genuine  goods  and  a  website  that  offers  
counterfeit goods.

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

- 140 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFINLAND

Digital content from illegal sources

• Legal sources are mostly used.
• The participants think that the use of illegal sources has decreased 
because the offer of legal sources has increased substantially. 
• Availability seems more important than the price of the content 
when it comes to films and TV shows. 
•  Young  people  prefer  legal  sources,  however  downloading  or 
streaming is still very common. Illegal sources are still used because  
sometimes  the  content  young  people  look  for  is  only  available 
through the use of illegal sources.
• People think it is easy to distinguish the difference between legal 
and illegal sources.
     - Illegal sources often offer content for free, but do not explain 
why it is free. They also do not explain where the content comes from.  

Drivers
          -  The  willingness  to  pay  for  legal  sources  is  more  present  if 
artists appear close to the young people that buy their music. They 
will more often buy music from a small band because they feel the 
money will not go to large multinational companies.
     - Young people have a clear conscience when they use legal 
sources. They prefer to play by the rules.   
     - Legal sources are easy to use and offer special features  (e.g. 
recommendations). 
     - Legal sources are top of mind. Young people feel that legal sources 
are  the  best  choice.  Finland  is  an  exception  compared  to  other 
countries where illegal sources are much more used and known. 

Barriers
      - Young people prefer not to download content from illegal 
sources because they do not want to own something that they perceive 
as “illegal”.
      -  The social acceptance of using illegal sources is very low. 
This means that people who use illegal sources regularly are seen 
as bad people. 
• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: Spotify, Netflix, YouTube
     - Illegal:  Torrents
• Young people know a lot of legal sources and they also use them 
regularly.

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

- 141 -

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Young people assume that the quality of counterfeit goods is very 
low.
• The participants do not judge people who buy counterfeit goods. 
• They perceive websites that offer counterfeit goods very negatively.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people tend to avoid purchasing counterfeit products.
• They do not purchase counterfeit goods online, but they do this 
on vacation (offline). On vacation, they are more relaxed and they 
see this as leisure time. 

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

FRANCE

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used. 
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change. 
• Only a minority of people seem to be ill at ease with the idea of 
using illegal sources.
• Young people seem to feel comfortable about using illegal sources 
and mention various reasons for doing so:
     - The impact of this is limited.
     - There are more people using legal sources than there are using 
illegal sources.
     - Illegal sources are only used occasionally.
Drivers
     - The willingness to pay for content from legal sources is more 
present  if  artists  appear  close  to  the  young  people  that  buy  their 
music. They will more often buy music from a small band because 
they feel the money will not go to large multinational companies.
     - Legal sources can be used on many different locations. For instance, 
Netflix  has  an  application  that  allows  people  to  use  it  anywhere 
they want. 

- 142 -

Intellectual Property and YouthIllegal Sources

Drivers
      - Young people believe that there is no advantage in paying for 
content. Quality and other aspects are perceived to be the same for 
legal and illegal sources.
Barriers
      - Illegal sources are not always free of charge.

Channels

• Most popular channels: 
          -  Legal:  Deezer,  YouTube,  Spotify,  iTunes,  Soundcloud,  
Dailymotion, Jeux.com, App Store, Google Play…
     - Illegal: Kakaoweb, Mamzouka, Popcorntime
• Young people know a lot of legal sources, but they do not use 
them. This is because illegal sources are free and easier to access.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods

Perception

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Wearing counterfeit clothes is perceived as bad for one’s image. 
• One participant even described counterfeit goods as dirty.

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

Attitude/Behaviour

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people tend to avoid risky situations. They do not want to 
get deceived. 
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
     - Terms of payment
     - Terms of delivery
     - The possibility of returning the product
•  They  always  compare  several  websites  to  make  sure  that  they 
purchase genuine products. 

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive:
     - One participant deliberately bought counterfeit clothes. The 
purchase was satisfactory.

- 143 -

GERMANY

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Legal sources are widely used. 
• Young people only use legal sources. They do not know any illegal 
sources.

General perception

• They think that illegal sources are hard to find. They quickly get 
shut down. 

Legal Sources

Drivers
     - Young people have a clear conscience when they use legal 
sources. They do not like to do illegal things.
     - If a legal source does not work, they can always contact someone 
from the website.
Barriers
     - Some legal sources (e.g. Amazon, Google) are seen as very 
powerful.

Illegal Sources

• Young people do not seem to use illegal sources. 

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, Spotify, Idealo.de, Steam…
     - Illegal: Kino.to, laola.tv
•  Young  people  are  willing  to  pay  for  quality.  They  know  some 
illegal sources, but they do not use them at all. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Young people do not want to buy counterfeit goods because the 
products are perceived to be fake, of poor quality and illegal.

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
•  To  make  sure  a  website  sells  genuine  products,  they  compare 
offers across websites.
• They do not purchase counterfeit goods online, but they do this 
on vacation. On vacation, they are more relaxed and they see this 
as leisure time.

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit goods.

- 144 -

Intellectual Property and YouthGREECE

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used. 
• Young people use the economic crisis as an excuse for using free, 
illegal sources.
• They say they do not have the money to pay for legal sources.
• The notion of illegal sources is becoming obsolete because young 
people find it hard to believe that “something everybody does” is 
illegal. 

Perceived  difference  between  legal  and  illegal  sources  offering  
digital content?
      - Some illegal sources are widely accepted. Young people mention 
as an excuse that everybody in their age group uses illegal sources.
          -  Young  people  assess  the  legality  of  sources  based  on  their  
popularity. They perceive widely known sources as legal. Sources 
such as YouTube have to be “legal”, because so many people use it. 
They believe that an illegal source cannot become popular or will 
not be used by many people. 
Drivers
          -  The  willingness  to  pay  for  legal  sources  is  more  present  if 
artists appear close to the young people that buy their music. They 
will more often buy music from a small band because they feel the 
money will not go to large multinational companies.
Drivers 
     - Downloading is fast and can be done overnight.
• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: YouTube, Spotify, M-torrent
• M-Torrent is an illegal channel. According to the participants it is 
seen as a legal channel because it is so widely known. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
•  Young  people  say  that  others  will  “make  fun  of  them”  if  they 
buy counterfeit products and therefore tend to avoid them. Some  
participants had already bought counterfeit goods (e.g. Nike shoes); 
this is in contrast with what they say.

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

- 145 -

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people buy counterfeit goods in product categories that are 
not  seen  as  particularly  important,  such  as  clothes  or  accessories 
that are fashionable for a season. 
• Greek people find trustworthiness very important when buying 
online – feeling safe is important to them. 
    - They use e-shops that have a physical stores in Greece.
    - They use websites that seem important and genuine, for instance 
websites that are also used by “grown-ups”.
    - They search for the “VerySign” when they pay for a product.

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Negative: 
    - One participant bought clothes that were never delivered.
• Positive:
    - Some participants bought counterfeit goods, knowing they were 
not genuine. The products were fine and perfectly functional.

HUNGARY

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.

General perception

• Young people do not seem to care whether the source they use is 
legal or not.

Legal Sources

• Young people do not think that there are any advantages in using 
legal sources.  

Illegal Sources

Channels

Drivers
     - Young people believe that there is no advantage in paying for 
content. Quality and other aspects are perceived as equal for legal 
and illegal sources.

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: YouTube, Port.nu
     - Illegal: nCore, Torrent
•  Young  people  do  not  know  which  sources  are  legal  and  which 
are not.

- 146 -

Intellectual Property and YouthPerception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Young people do not really care whether goods are counterfeit or 
not. They just do not want to be deceived. 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people rarely buy counterfeit goods. 
• When young people buy counterfeit goods, they don’t expect the 
quality to be the same as the original product’s. 
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Is the site widely known?
    - Clear indication of the company
    - Contracts available
    - Possibility to contact the company

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive:
     - Two participants knowingly bought a counterfeit watch. The 
quality was not very good, but the price was very low. 

IRELAND

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
•  Young  people  are  mostly  interested  in  convenience,  quality  and 
availability.
• Young people use ‘grey’ channels. These consist of sources that 
are not available in Ireland, but are legal in other countries.

Perceived difference legal/illegal?
     - Young people prefer to use legal channels, but sometimes the 
difference between legal and illegal sources is very unclear.

Drivers
     - Users of legal sources are offered a full customer experience. 
They can create a personal profile; they can chat with other users 
Legal sources have a more personal approach.
     - Some people do not mind paying for legal sources if the quality 
is better than the quality of the illegal source.

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

- 147 -

       - The willingness to pay for legal sources  is more present if 
artists appear close to the young people that buy their music. They 
will more often buy music from a small band because they feel the 
money will not go to large multinational companies.

Illegal Sources

• They mention different excuses for using illegal sources.
     - The content is already released and available to everyone.
     - A lot of people do it. 

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

• Most popular channels: 
     - Legal: Shazam, YouTube, Netflix, Google Play, Spotify, iTunes, 
BBC iplayer, 4OD…
          -  Illegal:  Musictube,  Pirate  Bay,  Torrent,  Primewire,  
Watchmoviesonline.com
• Young people prefer to use legal sources, but they often do not 
provide the content they are looking for.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• The participants think that websites that offer counterfeit goods 
without explicitly mentioning it are scamming people.
• They do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods. They 
understand why they do it. 
• A lot of young people purchase counterfeit goods.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Young people tend to avoid risky situations. They do not want to 
get deceived.
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look at different aspects:
     - Terms of payment
     - Terms of delivery
     - The possibility of returning the product

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive:
     - Multiple participants purchased illegal products online. These 
products are unlicensed in Ireland (e.g. tanning tablets, Xanax)
     - One participant bought counterfeit Michael Kors bags. They 
were  much  cheaper  than  the  genuine  ones.  She  knew  they  were 
counterfeit goods, but she was happy with them. 

- 148 -

Intellectual Property and YouthITALY

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used for downloading. Legal resources 
are mostly used for streaming. 
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change. 
• Spotify has changed the way some people enjoy music. It is the 
easiest way to save playlists, stream music…
• Attitude towards illegal sources offering digital content?
          -  Young  people  assess  the  legality  of  sources  based  on  their  
popularity. They perceive widely known sources as legal. Sources 
like YouTube have to be legal because so many people use them. 
     - They think that legal channels pay to publish the work of artists. 
•  Perceived  difference  between  legal  and  illegal  sources  offering 
digital content?
    - Using illegal sources is a habit, “everybody” does it. 
    - It is not perceived as a relevant issue

Legal Sources

• Legal sources can be free with advertisements. They use sources 
like Spotify and YouTube on a daily basis. 

• Sometimes illegal sources do not deliver what is expected from 
them. They do not provide the content they claim to offer. 
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Spotify, Shazam, Soundcloud, FoxTube
     - Illegal: Rojadirecta (for live streams), Pirate Streaming, Torrent, 
eMule, Megavideo
• Young people know a lot of legal channels for streaming. When 
it comes to downloading, they do not know legal sources so they 
use illegal sources.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
•  Young  people  do  not  judge  the  sources  that  offer  counterfeit 
goods.
• They do not judge people that buy counterfeit goods.
•  They  believe  counterfeit  goods  are  almost  the  same  as  genuine 
goods.  Sometimes  the  quality  is  inferior,  but  they  do  not  mind 
when they have to pay less. 

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

- 149 -

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• For safety reasons, young people prefer to pay with PayPal or pre-paid 
cards. They then feel sure that the payment is safe. 

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
•  The  participants  have  purchased  several  counterfeit  goods  (e.g. 
Nike shoes, shirt of a soccer team). The counterfeit goods were almost 
the same as the genuine products. Most people would not spot the 
difference.

LATVIA

Country Specific 
Behaviour

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.
• They do not look at whether the source they use is legal or not. 
They just use Google, type in what they need and click on one of 
the first links on the screen.

General perception

• Young people do not seem to care whether the source they use is 
legal or not.

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Drivers
    - Social acceptance: young people believe that their friends will 
judge them when they use illegal sources.
     - Young people are aware of the importance of respecting IP.

Drivers 
    - Young people can watch content without being connected to the 
internet if they have previously downloaded it on their computer. It 
is easy to use and they can delete it when they do not need it. 
    - Legal sources can only be watched while streaming. You need 
a working internet connection to be able to use them.
    - Some illegal sources offer the same quality as legal sources.
Barriers
    - Sometimes illegal sources do not deliver what is expected. They 
do not provide the content they claim to offer.

- 150 -

Intellectual Property and YouthChannels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Vkontakte.ru, sportacentrs.com, Spotify, Deezer, 
iTunes
     - Illegal: Torrent
• The use of legal sources seems to be unpopular amongst young 
people.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• The participants do not understand why people would purchase 
counterfeit goods.
• Young people do not judge sources offering counterfeit goods.  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Counterfeit goods are only purchased in specific categories like 
clothing or small accessories. For these categories origin is not of 
importance. 

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

LITHUANIA

Country Specific 
Behaviour

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.
• The use of illegal sources goes against their moral code. Nevethelesss 
and in reality, it is better to use free illegal sources than to have no 
sources at all.

General perception

•  Young  people  do  not  know  the  difference  between  illegal  and 
legal sources. 

Legal Sources

Drivers
    - Young people search for a copyright symbol or a license on 
sources to be sure that the source they use is legal. 

- 151 -

    - The willingness to pay for legal sources is more present if artists 
appear close to the young people that buy their music. They will 
more often buy music from a small band because they feel the money 
will not go to large multinational companies.
    - They are more willing to pay for content they will use for a 
longer time. Young people like to know that they have legal content 
when they use it for a long time.
Barriers
    - There is a feeling of lack of safety. When searching content 
online, young people never feel really safe about the purchase.

Drivers 
     - Some illegal sources offer the same quality as legal sources.
Illegal  sources  are  widely  available  and  used  by  friends,  family. 
Young  people  feel  emotionally  comfortable  about  using  illegal 
sources. 
Barriers
     - The use of illegal sources is seen as unfair towards the artists.

• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Soundcloud, Zippyshare, TV3Play, 15min.it, 
irt.it, inkgo.alfa.it, delfi.it
     - Illegal: Linkomaija, Filmai.it, Torrent
• Young people know a lot of legal sources, but they do not use 
them. This is because illegal sources are easier to access and free.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• They do not think about purchasing counterfeit goods.
• They do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods.
• They do not judge sources that offer counterfeit goods.  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived. 
• It is hard to spot the differences  between websites offering genuine 
products and websites offering counterfeit goods. 

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

- 152 -

Intellectual Property and YouthLUXEMBOURG

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people do not have a bad conscious when they use illegal 
sources. They do not feel guilty at all.
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.

• When searching for content, legal sources should be in the top 
results when searching through a search engine. Now most of the 
sources in the top results are illegal.

Legal Sources

• There are no country specific conclusions when it comes to legal 
sources.

Barriers 
     - Sometimes illegal sources do not deliver what is expected. They 
do not provide the content they claim to offer. 
    - Illegal sources are often blocked or interrupted. 
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Netflix, Sport1, Eurosport, Miniclip
     - Illegal: iTube, Kinos.to, Movie4K, Movie2K, Serienjunkies.com, 
Vomanol.com
• Young people do not seem to care whether a source is legal, as 
long as it is free.

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
    - Young people always perceive manufacturers’ official websites 
as trustworthy.
    - The probability of shopping for counterfeit goods is rather low. 
    - Young people do not judge people who buy counterfeit goods.
    - They do not judge the sources that offer counterfeit goods.  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived.
• Safety is perceived as very important. To decide whether a website 
sells counterfeit goods, young people look for different aspects:

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

- 153 -

    - Payment terms
    - Terms of delivery
    - The possibility of returning the product

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive
    - One participant purchased in-ear headphones. He had to pay 
€20  additional  custom  costs.  Instead  of  receiving  the  product 
he  ordered,  he  received  a  complete  headphone.  The  product  was  
considered of higher value than the money he paid. 

MALTA

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• There was no country specific behaviour; young people from Mal-
ta follow the overall patterns of behaviour observed in the survey. 

General perception

•  Not  all  young  people  seem  to  care  about  the  use  of  legal  and 
illegal sources. 

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Drivers 
     - Legal sources are perceived as reliable. They guarantee safety 
for their users. 
• Young people seem to identify illegal sources in different ways.
     - Some participants think that illegal sources are free sources.
     - Other participants assume that illegal sources have long download 
times. 

Channels

• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: Spotify, YouTube
    - Illegal: Torrent

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive the difference between legal & illegal 
websites?
• Counterfeit goods were perceived as better in some specific product 
categories, such as fur clothing. 
•  Young  people  do  not  judge  people  who  purchase  counterfeit 
goods.
• Young people do not judge sources offering counterfeit goods.  

Perception

- 154 -

Intellectual Property and YouthAttitude/Behaviour

Experience

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Payment terms
    - Terms of delivery
    - Serial numbers of products

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Negative
    - One participant bought 3 mobile phones. He never received the 
counterfeit goods.

THE NETHERLANDS

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.
•  Illegal  sources  are  a  popular  item  to  talk  about.  Young  people 
share a lot of tips and tricks among each other.  

General perception

• Young people do not seem to care whether the sources they use 
are legal or not. 

Legal Sources

•  Young  people  share  access  passwords  for  legal  sources.  If  one 
person pays, several people are able use the account. This reduces 
the costs of using legal sources.

• They mention different excuses for using illegal sources.
     - If the content is used for private purpose only, it is not seen 
as harmful.
Barriers 
     - Young people do not always find the content they want on 
illegal sources.  

• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Netflix
    - Illegal: Popcorntime, Netflix
•  Subscriptions  to  channels  like  Netflix,  iTunes  and  Spotify  are 
often paid by the parents of young people. 

Illegal Sources

Channels

- 155 -

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Counterfeit goods are not seen as “trendy”. Young people are not 
actively looking for them. 
• When asked about their opinion on websites offering counterfeit 
goods, they answer that this is “not done!”  

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
will not get deceived.

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

POLAND

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

• Young people are not sure what sources are actually illegal. They 
do not want to break the law, but they do not know for sure what 
is legal and what is not. 
• They believe that better awareness would motivate them to use 
legal sources. 

Drivers 
     - The willingness to pay for content from legal sources is more 
present  if  artists  appear  close  to  the  young  people  that  buy  their 
music. They will more often buy music from a small band because 
they feel the money will not go to large multinational companies.

Drivers
     - They use illegal sources to make sure that they do not pay for 
content they do not like. 
Barriers
     - There is a risk of hidden charges. Sometimes it looks like the 
illegal source is free, but in fact it’s not. 

- 156 -

Intellectual Property and Youth• They mention different excuses for using illegal sources.
     - If the content is used for private use only, it is not seen as 
harmful.

• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Dailymotion, PlayTube, 
IPLA, SCS, VOD
    - Illegal: Seansik.tv, Tvfilmfy, Kinomaniak, Battle.net, Kurnik, 
Minutapomunicie, CDA, O2.pl, Torrent
• Young people know a lot of legal sources, but they are not sure 
whether they are using them legally. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

legal/illegal  sources  offering  

How  do  respondents  perceive 
counterfeit goods?
• Young people think it is hard to see whether a source offers genuine 
or counterfeit goods. 
•  They  do  not  judge  sources  that  offer  counterfeit  goods,  unless 
they are mentioned explicitly.
• Young people perceive manufacturers’ official websites always as 
trustworthy.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
will not get deceived.
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• Young people compare several websites to make sure that they 
buy genuine products. 

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive
    - Counterfeit Ray-Ban sunglasses look the same as the original ones. 
• Negative
    - One participant bought an Adidas jumper. All the official tags 
were  on  the  jumper.  A  few  years  later,  the  police  contacted  him.  
The website that offered the counterfeit goods got sued.

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

- 157 -

PORTUGAL

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people grew up with illegal sources. Using illegal sources 
is a habit that seems hard to change.

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

• Young people do not seem to have detailed knowledge about legal 
and illegal sources. They do not seem to care about the issue.
• There is no clear distinction between legal and illegal sources.  

• There does not seem to be an exact notion of which sources are 
legal. 
    - “The internet is illegal!”
• Different excuses for using illegal sources are mentioned:
    - “Artists already earn enough money.”
    - The content is already released and available to anyone.
    - “Why pay when you can get it for free?”
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Spotify, iTunes
     - Illegal: YouTube MP3 Converter, aTube Catcher, Wareztuga,
• Young people know that the sources they use most are illegal.  

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive the difference between legal & illegal 
websites?
• The participants do not think that there are any specific sources 
offering counterfeit goods. 
• Young people do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods. 
• Young people think counterfeit goods (sold on- and offline) are 
produced in poor working conditions. 

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived.
• Purchasing counterfeit goods is considered smart. The goods look 
like the original ones; the only differences are quality and price. 

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

- 158 -

Intellectual Property and YouthROMANIA

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
•  Young  people  think  that  in  other  countries  illegal  sources  are 
more controlled.
• They do not really care where they get what they want, as long as 
they find what they want. 
• Perception of differences between legal and illegal sources offering 
digital content:
    - Legal sources require you to create an account. 
    - Young people perceive legal sources as widely known. Sources 
like YouTube have to be legal, since so many people use them. 
Barriers
    - Legal sources often spam with mailings and posts on social 
media. For example Spotify is linked to your Facebook and posts 
which songs you are listening to. 
Barriers
    - Illegal sources often indicate that they are not liable for the 
content they provide. They also indicate that they are not liable for 
the users’ actions.
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Twitch, Steam, iTunes, SkyFM
    - Illegal: Filelist, Pirate Bay, Torrents, Srialeonline, Kickass, Me-
ciuronline, CoolTV
• Young people do not seem to care whether a source is legal or not, 
as long as it is free. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit goods?
• Young people do not judge people who buy counterfeit goods.
• They do not judge sources that offer counterfeit goods. 

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Terms of payment
    - Terms of delivery
    - Serial numbers of products

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

- 159 -

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Positive: 
        -  The  participants  purchased  several  counterfeit  goods   (e.g. 
shirts, boxing gloves…). The price/quality ratio was sufficient.

SLOVAKIA

Country Specific 
Behaviour

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used. 
• Young people do not care about the difference between legal and 
illegal sources as long as they do not harm them.
• They do not really care which channel they use to get what they 
want as long as they get it.

General perception

• They only guess whether a source is legal or not.  

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Drivers 
    - With legal sources there is no limit on the volume of downloaded 
data. 
Drivers 
    - Illegal sources are usually easier to access than legal sources.
Barriers 
    - Young people do not always find the the content they are looking 
for on illegal sources.
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Ulotzo.sk
     - Illegal: Torrents
• Young people do not seem to care whether a source is legal or not, 
as long as it is free.  

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit goods?
• Young people seem to reject the idea of counterfeit goods. They 
prefer to purchase a generic product. They do not want to buy “a 
product that is pretending to be something it is not.” 

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:

- 160 -

Intellectual Property and Youth    - Terms of payment
    - Terms of delivery
    - Serial numbers of products

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit goods? 
• Negative:
    - Some participants purchased counterfeit clothing and perfume 
of very poor quality. 

SLOVENIA

Digital content from illegal sources

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• Young people do not seem to care whether the source they use is 
legal or not.
• Participants see YouTube as an illegal source.
     - YouTube is becoming less popular due to advertisements that 
appear more and more frequently. 
          -  YouTube  is  seen  as  an  illegal  source  because  anyone  can 
upload content. 
• The participants believe that when content is put online, they are 
allowed free access to it.

• Young people think the difference between legal and illegal sources 
is very unclear. 
    - They consider content as illegal when it is uploaded and offered 
without the consent of the artists. 
   - They consider sources as illegal when they are used for general 
education (e.g. national TV or popular scientific content).
   - Young people do not consider streaming and online watching/
listening illegal.
   - Young people perceive widely known sources as legal.  

Drivers 
    - The willingness to pay for legal sources is more present if artists 
appear close to the young people that buy their music. They will 
more often buy music from a small band because they feel the money 
will not go to large multinational companies.
Barriers 
    - Legal sources are not always available. 
Sometimes there are only a few possible types of payment. 

Country Specific 
Behaviour

General perception

Legal Sources

- 161 -

Illegal Sources

Channels

Barriers 
    - Illegal sources often have several malfunctions (e.g. the image 
freezes, links do not work).
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: 24ur, RTV, SLO, YouTube, Amazon, Voyo
    - Illegal: Putlocker, Pirate Bay, Partis, Solar movie
• Young people do not seem to care whether a source is legal or not, 
as long as it is free.

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive the difference between legal & illegal 
websites?
• Young people perceive no big differences between genuine and 
counterfeit goods. 
• The participants do not give counterfeit goods a lot of thought. 
They find the financial advantage more important.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived.
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Terms of payment
    - Terms of delivery
    - Serial numbers of products

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit 
goods? 
• Positive:
        -  Most  participants  have  already  purchased  counterfeit  goods 
and were pleasantly surprised. 

SPAIN

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are widely used. 
• Young people often do not consider using legal sources. They do 
not seem to need them. 

- 162 -

Intellectual Property and YouthGeneral perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

• Young people do not seem to care whether the source they use is 
legal or not.
Drivers 
    - Young people feel that it is easy to find content using legal 
sources. 
     - If they like the legal sources, they prefer to pay for the source 
to profit from all the advantages that come with it. 
Drivers 
    - They use illegal sources to make sure that they do not pay for 
content they do not like. 
     - Young people think that they can get any kind of content from 
illegal sources for free. They just have to search for it.
• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube, Spotify, Ares, JDownloader, Wuaki
     - Illegal: Torrent, aTube Catcher, Rojadirecta, Series.ly
• Young people know legal sources, but they do not use them. They 
prefer to use free, illegal sources. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive the difference between legal & illegal 
websites?
• Young people do not feel confident about purchasing counterfeit 
goods online. They often do not trust the websites. 
• Some participants value quality and do not want to buy counterfeit 
goods.
•  Other  participants  accept  counterfeit  goods  depending  on  the  
products (e.g. football T-shirts).

Attitude/Behaviour

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived.
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.

Experience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit products?  
• Negative:
    - One participant purchased a counterfeit iPhone. The quality 
was terrible. 

- 163 -

SWEDEN

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Legal sources are widely used. 
•  Young  people  prefer  legal  sources,  however  downloading  or  
streaming online digital content is still very common.

General perception

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

• There are no real alternatives for the illegal sources they use. They 
would have to subscribe to multiple legal sources, but this would be 
particularly expensive.

Drivers
        -  Young  people  have  a  clear  conscience  when  they  use  legal 
sources. They prefer to play by the rules.
Barriers
    - Young people often receive warnings when they go to illegal 
sources. When they see these warnings, they look for another source.   
• Most popular channels: 
        -  Legal: Spotify,  YouTube,  Netflix,  Channel5,  SVT,  TV4,  TV3, 
CNN, Amazon, Viaplay, Readly.com, Aldibris.se
    - Illegal: Swefilm, Tjock.se, Pirate Bay
• Young people always start with legal channels. If they do not find 
what they are looking for, they will use illegal channels. 

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit 
goods?
• Young people seem not to be interested in counterfeit goods. 
• They do not judge people who purchase counterfeit goods. 
• They do not judge sources offering counterfeit goods. Only mis-
leading sources are problematic.

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived.
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Terms of payment
    - Terms of delivery
    - Serial numbers of products

- 164 -

Intellectual Property and YouthExperience

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit products?  
• The participants have no experience with purchasing counterfeit 
goods.

UK

Digital content from illegal sources

Country Specific 
Behaviour

• Illegal sources are mostly used.
• Young people who do not use different sources everyday use legal 
sources more often. They are also willing to pay for legal sources.
• Young people also use ‘grey’ channels. These consist of sources 
that are not available in the UK, but that are legal in other countries.

General perception

Perceived difference legal/illegal?
    - Young people prefer to use legal sources, but sometimes the 
difference between legal and illegal sources is very unclear.

Drivers
    - The willingness to pay for legal sources is more present if artists 
appear close to the young people that buy their music. They will 
more often buy music from a small band because they feel the money 
will not go to large multinational companies. 
    - Social acceptance is also an important reason for choosing legal 
sources. Among friends young people use legal sources. Alone, they 
sometimes use illegal sources when they cannot find what they are 
looking for on legal sources. 

• Illegal sources are not accessible in the UK, but they are legal in 
other countries.
• They mention different excuses for using illegal sources:
    - The content is already released and available to anyone.
    - Legal sources are seen as too expensive.

• Most popular channels: 
    - Legal: YouTube
    - Illegal: Torrent
• Young people always start with legal sources. If they do not find 
what they are looking for, they use illegal sources.

Legal Sources

Illegal Sources

Channels

- 165 -

Perception

Attitude/Behaviour

Experience

Online purchase of counterfeit goods 

How do respondents perceive legal/illegal sources offering counterfeit 
goods?
•  Young  people  do  not  judge  people  who  purchase  counterfeit 
goods.
• They do not judge sources offering counterfeit goods. 

What  attitude  do  respondents  show  towards  buying  counterfeit 
goods online? What behaviour do respondents show? 
• Some participants purchase counterfeit goods in specific product 
categories (e.g. make-up, clothing).
• People evaluate the sellers based on comments by other buyers.
• To decide whether a website sells counterfeit goods, young people 
look for different aspects:
    - Terms of payment
    - Terms of delivery
    - Serial numbers of products
• They tend to avoid risks. Young people want to be sure that they 
do not get deceived. 

What experience did respondents have with counterfeit products? 
• Positive:
    - Two participants purchased counterfeit goods and the products 
had a sufficient level of quality.
• Negative:
    - One participant ordered counterfeit goods and they were never 
delivered, although he paid for the goods.
   - One girl bought a necklace. It was obvious that it was a fake 
and it looked cheap.

- 166 -

Intellectual Property and Youth8. Appendix 3: 
Questionnaire

Intellectual Property and Youth

Structure of the questionnaire

 Introduction

 I. Screening 

 II. Usage/purchase patterns and drivers

 III. Physical goods 

 IV. Digital content

 V. Experiences

VI. Background 

- 168 -

Intellectual Property and YouthIntroduction

GfK is conducting a survey for an agency of the European Union. This survey is about 
what young people in Europe do on the internet and how they think about piracy and 
fake products that are being sold online.

GfK will interview young people between 15 and 24 years old in all 28 countries of 
the European Union. 

We thank you very much in advance for completing this questionnaire, which will take 
about 15 minutes. 

In this questionnaire we use the words “legal sources” for the websites that offer content 
(films, music, e-books, TV shows, sport events, games etc.) with the permission of the 
people that hold the rights to the content, for example authors, creators, performers 
and producers. 

“Legal sources”  is  also  used  for  sources  (sellers,  traders,  shops…)  that  offer  original 
products for sale on the internet.

With “illegal sources” we mean websites that offer content (films, music, e-books, TV 
shows, sport events, games etc.) without the permission of the rights owners. It is used 
for sellers, traders and shops that sell fake products online.

All the answers to this questionnaire will remain confidential, so the answers will in 
no way be linked to your personal details. The answers will only be used for research 
on the topic of piracy and fake products being sold online. 

GfK follows all relevant European data protection regulations and the Code of Con-
duct from ESOMAR (ESOMAR is the world association for market, social and opinion 
researchers).

- 169 -

I. Screening

ALL

SC1. What is your age?
 [15+]
DP: Screening question. If I1 < 15 STOP INTERVIEW, go to end screen
DP: If I1 = [15-24], go to II1 

FILTER: If I1 > 24
SC2. Are you the parent or legal guardian of a child between the ages of 15 and 24?
1. Yes
2. No
DP: Screening question. If I2 = 2 STOP INTERVIEW, go to end screen

FILTER: If I2 = 1
SC3. What is your child’s age?
 [15-17]
DP: Screening question. If I3 < 15 or I3 > 24 STOP INTERVIEW, go to end screen

FILTER: If I3 = [15-24]
SC4. Would you permit your child aged 15 to 24 to participate in a survey regarding 
what young people in Europe do on the internet and how they think about piracy and 
fake products that are being sold online?  
1. Yes
2. No 
DP: Screening question. If I4 = 2 STOP INTERVIEW, go to end screen

FILTER: If I4 = 1
SC5. Thank you for giving your consent. Please be assured that your child will not 
be asked to purchase anything, we are only interested in his/her opinions.  Now we 
would like you to bring your child between the ages of 15 and 24 to the computer. 
From  this  point  forward  your  teenager  should  complete  the  survey  on  their  own,  
without any assistance from you. Please click continue to start the survey. 
1. Yes, I will now bring my child to the computer and click continue.
2. No, I would like to stop the survey.
DP: Screening question. If I5 = 2 STOP INTERVIEW, go to end screen

- 170 -

Intellectual Property and YouthII. Usage/purchase patterns and drivers

FILTER: IF I1 = [15-24] OR I5 = 1
II1. Which of the following products have you bought online during the past 12 months? 
DP: multiple, option 18 = single, do not rotate
1. Clothes & accessories 
2. Footwear  
3. Sportswear & equipment 
4. Hygiene, cosmetics, personal care & perfume 
5. Jewellery & watches 
6. Medication 
7. Toys  
8. Music and films (on CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc…)
9. Books and magazines
10. Larger electronic devices (computers, cameras, consoles…)
11. Small electronic devices (USB sticks, earphones, rechargers…) 
12. Telecom equipment (phones & accessories…) 
13. Household cleaning & laundry products 
14. Foodstuffs & beverages
15. Tickets (transport, events…)
16. Games (on DVD, Blu-ray Disc) 
17. Other
18. I have not bought a product online in the past 12 months 

FILTER: IF II1 < 17
DP: rotation of items
DP: ranking of 5 choices
II2. If you want to buy items such as [insert answer categories indicated in II1] online, 
what is more important to you? 
Please select 5 things you find most important, and rank them in your TOP 5. 
1. That I have  plenty of choice (CHOICE)
2. That the item is cheap (PRICE)
3. That the item is easy to find (USERFRIENDLINESS)
4. That it is easy to pay for the item (USERFRIENDLINESS)
5. That the item is of good quality (QUALITY/SAFETINES)
6. That I can trust the vendor that sells the products (TRUST)
7. That the site is safe (there is no or low risk of malware, viruses…) (SAFETY)

- 171 -

8. That the site offers consumer protection: I can send the item back within the legal 
period if I decide that I don’t want it (CONSUMER PROTECTION) 
9. That the payment method is safe (CONSUMER PROTECTION)
10. That the item is original, not fake (GENUINENESS)
11. That I get the item as quickly as possible (SPEED OF DELIVERY)
12. That I can buy the item anytime and anywhere (CONVENIENCE)
13. That I can buy items that are not available in stores in my country (AVAILABILITY)

ALL
II3. How often have you listened to, watched, read, used, played, downloaded… the 
following content from the internet during the past 12 months? 
DP: gridline, single

How often?

1

2

3

4

5

daily

weekly monthly

rarely

never

Films/series

Music

Games
This also includes App games (to be 
played on tablet or smart phone)

E-books

E-newspapers and 
magazines

TV shows and sport events

Educational content
With this we mean content related to 
school/college subjects and tasks

Other, please specify: 
For example: videos uploaded by users 
on YouTube, e.g. video in which a user 
sings  a  song,  video  in  which  a  user 
shows how to use make-up, video in 
which a user dances to a certain song, 
video in which a game fragment has 
been played online…

- 172 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFILTER: ONLY SHOW OPTIONS II3a to II3h < 5
II3a. What do you do most?
DP: gridline, single

1

2

Streaming/
playing/reading

Downloading/
copying to your 
device (e.g. compu-
ter or smartphone)

3
Both streaming/
playing/ reading 
AND downloading/
copying to your 
device (e.g. compu-
ter or smartphone)

a) Films/Series

b) Music

c) Games

d) E-books

e) E-newspapers 
and magazines
f) TV shows and 
sport events
g) Educational 
content

h) Other

DP: Add the following explanation on screen
    - What is streaming digital content? The content is being played (e.g. a film or mu-
sic) without the content file being saved on your device (e.g. computer or smart phone)
    - What is downloading digital content? The content (e.g. a film or music)  is being 
saved on your device (e.g. computer or smart phone)

- 173 -

FILTER: IF at least one option II3a to II3h < 5
DP: rotation of items
DP: ranking of 5 choices
II4. If you want to use, play, download or stream content from the internet such as 
[insert answer categories indicated in II3] what is more important to you?
Please select 5 things you find most important, and rank them in your TOP 5. 
1. That there is plenty of choice in content (CHOICE)
2. That the content is cheap or is free of charge (PRICE)
3. That I can pay in an easy way for the content that I want (EASY PAYMENT)
4. That I can pay per item (e.g. one song and not the whole album or one episode and 
not the entire series) (PAY PER CONTENT)
5. That I can pay a subscription fee (for example monthly) and then have access to all 
the content included in the subscription (SUBSCRIPTION) 
6. That the site/source is safe (there is no or low risk of malware, viruses…) (SAFETY)
7. That the site is user-friendly (it is easy to find the content I want and to start the 
streaming/downloading/playing) (USER-FRIENDLINESS)
8. That I can get and reuse the content on any device (COMPATIBILITY)
9. That I do not risk having my account blocked or having to pay a fine (RISK) 
10. That the site/source seems to me to offer content on a legal basis (LEGALITY) 
11. That the content is of good quality (QUALITY)
12. That I do not need to register on the site to access, download or stream the content 
(NO REGISTRATION)
13. That I can access, download or stream the content in other countries too (CROSS 
BORDER USAGE)
14.  That  I  can  resell  the  file  I  bought  in  a  form  that  would  allow  reuse  (RESALE   
POSSIBILITY)
15. That I can download or stream the content quickly (SPEED)

As mentioned, all answers to this survey will remain anonymous and no one will be 
able to identify you following this survey.

- 174 -

Intellectual Property and YouthIII. Physical goods

ALL

III1. Can you tell the difference between a website that sells only genuine (= real)  
products and a website that sells fake products or a mix of genuine and fake products?
DP: single
1. Yes
2. No
3. For some websites I do and for others I don’t

FILTER: IF II1 < 17
III2. During the past 12 months, have you bought online a fake product (for instance 
[insert answer categories indicated in II1])?
DP: single
1. Yes, intentionally
2. Yes, but only by accident
3. No
4. I don’t know

DP: Add the following explanation on screen
“Intentionally means deliberately; you were aware that the product(s) you ordered was 
(were) fake.”
FILTER: IF III2 = 1 
III3. Which type of fake product(s) did you buy online? Please indicate all that apply.
DP: multiple, do not rotate
1. Clothes & accessories 
2. Footwear  
3. Sportswear & equipment 
4. Hygiene, cosmetics, personal care & perfume 
5. Jewellery & watches 
6. Medication 
7. Toys  
8. Music and films (on CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc…)
9. Books and magazines
10. Larger electronic devices (computers, cameras, consoles…)
11. Small electronic devices (USB sticks, earphones, rechargers…) 

- 175 -

12. Telecom equipment (phones & accessories…) 
13. Household cleaning & laundry products 
14. Foodstuffs & beverages
15. Tickets (transport, events…)
16. Games (on DVD, Blu-ray Disc) 
17. Other

FILTER: IF III2 = 
III4. You indicated that you have bought intentionally a fake product (for instance 
[insert answer categories indicated in III3]) online during the past 12 months. What 
was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply.
DP: multiple, rotate, option 1 to 11
1. Because people around me do this
2. Because a fake product is cheaper
3. Because there is more choice amongst fake products
4. Because a fake product is a good deal
5. Because you get a fake product faster
6. Because I don’t know why I should not do it
7. Because it is much easier to find and order a fake product
8. Because the sites offering original products do not deliver to  my country
9. Because of protest against big brands
10. Because I don’t see the difference between a genuine and a fake product
11. Because I don’t care whether it is a genuine or a fake product
12. Other, please specify:

FILTER: IF III2 = 1
III5. You indicated that you have intentionally bought a fake product online during 
the past 12 months. What would make you stop buying a fake product? Please indi-
cate all that apply.
DP: multiple, option 8 = single, rotate option 1 to 7
1. Risk of punishment 
2. Personal bad experience with a fake product
3. Bad experience of friends and/or family with a fake product
4. Bad experience of others with a fake product
5. Harm to my image: others would judge me because of having / wearing fake items
6. Availability of affordable original products
7. A better understanding of the harm caused by my behaviour to the producers of the 
original products

- 176 -

Intellectual Property and Youth8. Nothing would make me stop [radio button]

FILTER: IF III2 = 2 or 3
III6. You indicated that you have not bought intentionally a fake product online du-
ring the past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply.
DP: multiple, rotate option 1 to 6
1. I don´t trust the websites that sell fake products
2. It is not cool to have a fake product
3. The quality of an original product is better
4. I do not want to do anything illegal
5. I had a bad experience
6. I am afraid that my data could be misused 
7. Other, please specify:

FILTER: IF III2 = 4 
III7. You indicated that you don’t know whether you have bought a fake product on-
line during the past 12 months. Why is that? Please indicate all that apply.
DP: multiple, rotate option 1 to 2
1. Because I can’t tell the difference between a genuine and a fake product
2. Because I don’t care whether it is a genuine or a fake product
3. Other, please specify:

- 177 -

IV. Digital content

FILTER: IF at least one option II3a to II3h < 5
IV1. When you look for content online do you know whether the source (website) you 
use for using, playing, downloading or streaming provides you the content legally or 
illegally?
DP: gridline, single 
FILTER: ONLY SHOW OPTIONS II3a to II3h < 5

1

Yes

2

No

3
For some websites I do and 
for others I don’t

a) Films/series

b) Music

c) Games

d) E-books

e) E-newspapers 
and magazines
f) TV shows and 
sport events
g) Educational 
content

h) Other

FILTER: IF at least one option II3a to II3h < 5
IV2.  During  the  past  12  months,  have  you  used,  played,  downloaded  or  streamed 
content (for instance [insert all answer categories indicated in II3 for which an answer 
<5 is selected]) from illegal sources (websites)?
DP: single
1. Yes
2. No
3. I don’t know

- 178 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFILTER: IF IV2 = 1
IV3. Did you use the illegal source(s) (website(s)) for content intentionally?
DP: single
1. Yes
2. No

DP: Add the following explanation on screen
“Intentionally means deliberately; you were aware that the source (website) you used 
for the content was illegal.”

FILTER: IF IV3 = 1
IV3a. Did you use only illegal sources (websites)?
DP: single
1. Yes
2. No, I also used legal sources

FILTER: IF IV3 = 1 
IV4. Which type of content did you use, play, download or stream intentionally from 
an illegal source (website)? Please indicate all that apply.
DP: multiple, do not rotate
1. Films/series
2. Music
3. Games
4. E-books
5. E-newspapers and magazines
6. TV shows and sport events 
7. Educational content
8. Other

FILTER: IF IV3 = 1 
IV5. You indicated that you used illegal sources (websites) intentionally for online 
content (for instance [insert answer categories indicated in IV4]) during the past 12 
months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate all that apply.
DP: multiple, rotate option 1 to 14
1. Because people around me do this
2. Because the content is available quicker from illegal sources (websites)
3. Because illegal sources (websites) offer a larger choice

- 179 -

4. Because the search engine I use shows illegal sources (websites) on top of the list
5. Because content from illegal sources (websites) is free of charge or cheaper
6. Because I can re-use content from illegal sources (websites) on any device
7. Because content from illegal offers (websites) is much easier to find and access 
8. Because I don’t know why I should not do it
9. Because I only find the content that I want using illegal sources (websites)
10. Because it is for my personal use and I don’t see anything wrong with it
11. Because I can  use/access the content in another country
12. Because I can stream or download the content per item  (e.g. one song and not the 
whole album or one episode and not the entire series)
13. Because I want to check the content first before I order it from a legal source (web-
site)
14. Because I do not need to register
15. Other, please specify:

FILTER: IF IV3 = 1 
IV6. You indicated that you used illegal sources (websites) intentionally for online 
content (for instance [insert answer categories indicated in IV4]) during the past 12 
months.  What  would  make  you  stop  using  illegal  sources?  Please  indicate  all  that 
apply
DP: multiple, option 6 = single, rotate option 1 to 6
1. Risk of punishment 
2. Personal bad experience with illegal sources
3. Bad experience of friends and/or family with illegal sources (e.g. malware…)
4. Bad experience of others with illegal sources (e.g. malware…)
5. Availability of affordable content from legal sources
6. A better understanding of the harm caused by my behaviour to the musicians/wri-
ters/artists/creators…
7. Nothing would make me stop [radio button]

FILTER: IF IV3 = 2 
IV7.  You  indicated  that  you  have  not  used  illegal  sources  (websites)  intentionally 
for online content (for instance [insert all answer categories from II3 for which <5 is 
selected]) during the past 12 months. What was the reason for this? Please indicate 
all that apply.
DP: multiple, rotate option 1 to 8

- 180 -

Intellectual Property and Youth1. I don´t trust illegal sources 
2. It is not cool to access, download or stream content from illegal sources
3. The quality of content from legal sources is better
4. I am afraid that my computer will be infected by viruses or spyware
5. I do not want to do anything illegal
6. I have had a bad experience with illegal sources
7. I am afraid that my data would be misused
8. I don´t want to hurt the artists/creators
9. Other, please specify:

FILTER: IF IV2 = 3 
IV8. You indicated that you don’t know whether you have used, played, downloaded 
or streamed content from illegal sources (websites) during the past 12 months. What 
was the reason for this?
DP: multiple, rotate option 1 to 2
1. Because I don’t know whether sources of content are legal or illegal 
2. Because I don’t care whether the source of the content is legal or illegal
3. Other, please specify:
FILTER: IF at least one option II3a to II3h < 5 OR II1 < 17
IV9. How do you check if a source (website) that offers products or digital content 
online is legal or illegal? Please tick all that apply.
DP: multiple, option 7 = single, rotate option 1 to 5
1. I send an email if an email address is available 
2. I ask my friends
3. I ask my parents/relatives
4. I search for reviews, comments and opinions about the site / source
5. I check who is the site/source owner, for example via ‘Whois’ domain name search
6. Other, please specify:
7. I don’t check (radio button)

FILTER: IF at least one option II3a to II3h < 5 OR II1 < 17
IV10. What makes you think that a source (website) that offers products or digital 
content online is legal? Please tick all that apply.
DP: multiple, rotate option 1 to 7
1. Contact details of a seller (physical address and phone number) are available
2. Payment method with logos are displayed
3. Advertisements of major brands are present
4. People I know use this source (site)

- 181 -

5. The site appears high in the search results
6. Prices are indicated on the site
7. No bad reviews of the site can be found
8. Other, please specify:

ALL
IV11. What would make you think twice before using, playing, downloading or strea-
ming content from an illegal source (website) or before buying a fake product online?
DP: gridline, single
Option k = radio button
      Knowing that:

Yes

No

Probably 
yes

Probably 
not

I don’t 
know

a) Money spent on fake pro-
ducts goes to organised crime
b) Your credit card details 
could be stolen
c) Artists/creators and the 
team behind them can be hurt
d) Fakes and piracy are not 
cool
e) Illegal offers of content or 
products can cost the job of 
your friend/relative
f) Fake products can be bad 
for the environment
g) Fake products can be bad 
for your health or even dange-
rous
h) You can risk a fine or ano-
ther sanction

i) When you buy a fake pro-
duct which does not work 
properly you don´t have a 
guarantee

j) You risk your computer or 
device becoming infected by 
viruses, or malware

k) Nothing would make me 
think twice

- 182 -

Intellectual Property and YouthV. Experiences

FILTER: IF at least one option II3a to II3h < 5
V1. Did the following already happen to you when you used, played, downloaded or 
streamed content online such as: [insert answer categories indicated < 5 in II3]?

Legality of source (website)?

1 . No

2. Yes, and I 
think the 
source (web-
site) was 
legal

3. Yes, and 
I think the 
source (web-
site) was 
illegal

4. Yes, and I 
don’t know whe-
ther the source 
(website) was 
legal or not

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

a) I paid for a service/con-
tent which did not work

b) The content was not ac-
cessible in another country 

c) I paid for content but 
could not resell it

d) I made a complaint but 
was not refunded by the 
website/service owner

e) I was fully satisfied

f) My credit card details 
were stolen

g) My computer was 
infected by viruses or by 
malware

h) I got spammed  because 
my details were given away

i) I wanted to purchase 
content but was unable to 
make the transaction
j) The content I got was 
not portable (could not be 
used on other devices)

DP: gridline, single

- 183 -

FILTER: IF II1< 17
V2. Has the following happened to you when you bought a product online, such as 
[insert answer categories indicated in II1]?
DP: gridline, single

1 . No

2. Yes, and I 
think the 
source  
(website) was 
legal

3. Yes, and 
I think the 
source  
(website) 
was illegal

4. Yes, and I 
don’t know  
whether the 
source (website) 
was legal or not

a) I paid, but it did not arrive

b) The product arrived 
much later than indicated 

c) The product was 
stopped by customs
Customs is the official depart-
ment that administers and 
collects the duties/taxes raised 
by a government on goods that 
are imported.

d) The product was a fake

e) The product was of  
lower quality than I 
expected
f) I could not return the 
product 

g) I was fully satisfied

h) I returned the product 
but the money  was not 
refunded by the seller 

i) I could not make a 
complaint to the seller

j) The product broke and I 
could not get it fixed on a 
warranty
k) The product delivered 
was not the product that I 
ordered

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

☐

- 184 -

Intellectual Property and Youth X. Background

ALL
X1. What is your gender?
1. Male
2. Female

ALL
X2. What is your current situation?
1. I am a full-time student
2. I am part-time student and part-time employed/doing an internship
3. I have left education and am employed
4. I have left education and am not employed
5. Other, please specify: 

FILTER: If X2 = 3 or 4
X3A. What is the highest level of education you completed?
Per country the local education levels will be used in the questionnaire, and the local  
levels  will  be  automatically  recoded  to  the  six  levels  of  the  international  ISCED  
classification system.
ISCED levels:
No education completed (ISCED 0)
Primary education (ISCED 1)
Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)  
Post-secondary including pre-vocational or vocational education but not tertiary (IS-
CED 4)
Tertiary education – first level (ISCED 5)
Tertiary education – advanced level (ISCED 6)
Example for Sweden:

Educational category labels 
in Swedish

Educational category labels 
in English

ISCED 
level

1. Ingen formell utbildning

No formal education

2. Folkskola (6 år)

Elementary school

3. Realskola, Fackskola eller flickskola Secondary school

4. Grundskola (9 år)

Nine-year compulsory school

0

1

2

2

- 185 -

5. Gymnasium, Studentexamen
6. Påbyggnadsutbildning efter gym-
nasium ej högskola/universitet (t.ex. 
Kvalificerad yrkesutbildning)
7. vårdhögskola, socialhögskola (äldre 
utbildning)
8. Universitet och högskola

9. Universitet och högskola, magis-
ter-/mastersexamen, civilingenjör 
eller liknande längre utbildning
10. Forskarutbildning (licentiat eller 
doktorsexamen)

Upper secondary school
Vocational school

College of health sciences

University, college of higher lear-
ning
University, college of higher lear-
ning. master’s degree

Research study, post-graduate 
study

3

3

3

5

5

6

FILTER: IF X2 = 1 or 2
X3B. Which level of education are you currently undertaking?

Per country the local education levels will be used in the questionnaire, and the local 
levels will be automatically recoded to the international ISCED classification system.

ISCED levels:
No education completed (ISCED 0)
Primary education (ISCED 1)
Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)  
Post-secondary including pre-vocational or vocational education but not tertiary (IS-
CED 4)
Tertiary education – first level (ISCED 5)
Tertiary education – advanced level (ISCED 6)
See example above

ALL
X4. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
DP: gridline

- 186 -

Intellectual Property and YouthStrongly 
disagree

Tend to 
disagree

Tend to 
agree

Agree

Strongly 
agree

a) I use a wide variety of sites on 
the Internet
b) I know how to search on the 
Internet to find what I need

c) I know how to pay online

FILTER: IF X2 < 3 or X2 = 5
X5A. Do you have an income?
DP: single
1. Yes, I combine school/studies with a student job
2. Yes, I have another type of income
3. No, I do not have an income

FILTER: IF X2 = 4
X5B. Do you have an income?
DP: single
1. Yes, I receive an allowance/benefits
2. Yes, I have another type of income
3. No, I do not have an income

- 187 -

9. Appendix 4: 
Country profiles 

Intellectual Property and Youth

A USTRIA

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

AUSTRIA

EU

27%

9%

44%

19%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

89%

47%

22%

85%

56%

29%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

AUSTRIA

EU

77%

67% PRICE

41%

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

41%

NO NEED 
TO REGISTER

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

AUSTRIA

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

61%
58%

48%
28%

43%
36%

Availability of affordable content

Bad personal experience

Risk of punishment

AUSTRIA

EU

- 189 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

AUSTRIA

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

78%

10%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

AUSTRIA

5%

6%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Telecom

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

37%

23%

17%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

AUSTRIA

EU

49%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

39%

26%

GOOD VALUE

27%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

AUSTRIA

EU

AUSTRIA

EU

48%
41%
44%
27%

43%
27%

45%

Bad personal experience

Risk of punishment

Bad experience of friends/family

Availability of affordable originals 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 86%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 77%

You could be fined 76%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 72%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

70%

40%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

61%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

59%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

71%

76%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 190 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BEL GIUM

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

BELGIUM

EU

32%

12%

29%

27%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

88%

58%

85%

56%

25%

29%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

BELGIUM

EU

74%

67%

PRICE

40%

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

37%

33% FASTER TO 

ACCESS

BELGIUM

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

43%
36%

39%
58%

31%
28%

Risk of punishment

BELGIUM

EU

Availability of affordable content

Bad personal experience

- 191 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

BELGIUM

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

BELGIUM

EU

11%

9%

68%

12%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

43%

46%

24%

23%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

BELGIUM

EU

64%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

38%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

24%

CAN’T TELL 
THE DIFFERENCE 

26%

GOOD VALUE

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

BELGIUM

EU

BELGIUM

EU

41%
27%
37%
41%
23%
27%
45%

Risk of punishment

Bad personal experience

Bad experience of others 

Bad experience of friends/family

Availability of affordable originals 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 82%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 76%

You could be fined 73%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 71%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

66%

42%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

54%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

55%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

63%

64%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 192 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BU LG ARIA

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

BULGARIA

EU

27%

15%

25%

33%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

91%

70%

49%

85%

56%

29%

BULGARIA

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

68%

67%

PRICE

46%

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

42%

33% FASTER TO 

ACCESS

BULGARIA

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

57%
58%

35%
36%

22%
28%

22%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

BULGARIA

EU

Bad personal experience

Harm to artists / creators

- 193 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

BULGARIA

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

BULGARIA

EU

15%

18%

54%

13%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
45%

46%

42%

24%

33%

19%

BULGARIA

EU

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

72%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

39%

26% GOOD VALUE

24%

30%

INDIFFERENCE 

BULGARIA

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

81%
45%

36%
41%
29%
27%
27%

Availability of affordable originals  

Bad personal experience

BULGARIA

EU

Bad experience of friends/family

Risk of punishment 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 87%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 82%

You could be fined 69%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 80%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

72%

60%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

65%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

71%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

63%

77%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 194 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 195 -

- 196 -

Intellectual Property and YouthCYPRUS

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

CYPRUS

EU

22%

23%

25%

30%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

92%

53%

40%

85%

56%

29%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

CYPRUS

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

51%

67%

PRICE

51% NO NEED 

TO REGISTER

47%

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

CYPRUS

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

32%
36%

30%

29%
58%

28%

Risk of punishment

CYPRUS

EU

Will not stop

Availability of affordable content

Bad personal experience

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

- 197 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

CYPRUS

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

CYPRUS

EU

20%

18%

38%

24%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

60

40

20

Sportswear 
and equipment

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
60%

40%

46%

33%

15%

19%

0

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

75%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

45%

30%

INDIFFERENCE 

44%

26%

GOOD VALUE

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

40%
27%
30%
27%
26%
45%

41%

Risk of punishment

Bad experience of friends/family

Availability of affordable originals  

Bad personal experience  

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 85%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 90%

You could be fined 80%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 84%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

61%

26%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

50%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

30%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

62%

71%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 198 -

CYPRUS

EU

CYPRUS

EU

CYPRUS

EU

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C Z ECH RE PUBLIC

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

29%

12%

25%

34%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

89%

66%

85%

56%

38%

29%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

73%

67% PRICE

49%

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

44%

EASIER 
TO ACCESS

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

55%
58%

35%
28%

33%
36%

Availability of affordable content

Bad personal experience

Risk of punishment

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

- 199 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

CZECH REPUBLIC

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

9%

5%

67%

18%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

46%

46%

21%

21%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

77%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

34%

CAN’T TELL 
THE DIFFERENCE 

33%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

26%

GOOD VALUE

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

66%
45%
50%
41%
31%
27%
31%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

CZECH REPUBLIC

EU

Bad experience of friends/family

Bad experience of others

Risk of punishment

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 85%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 77%

You could be fined 71%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 72%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

69%

51%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

50%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

53%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

64%

70%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 200 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DE NMARK

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

DENMARK

EU

26%

12%

46%

16%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

88%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

27%

18%

85%

56%

29%

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

DENMARK

EU

68%

67% PRICE

49%

BETTER 
SELECTION

38%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

DENMARK

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

70%
58%

46%
36%

21%

28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

DENMARK

EU

Bad experience of others

Bad personal experience

- 201 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

DENMARK

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

DENMARK

EU

10%

12%

66%

11%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

47%

32%

28%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

DENMARK

EU

65%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

37%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

23%

CAN’T TELL 
THE DIFFERENCE 

26% GOOD VALUE 

DENMARK

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

52%
45%
38%
27%
28%
41%

27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Risk of punishment

DENMARK

EU

Bad personal experience

Bad experience of friends/family

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 78%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 75%

You could be fined 73%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 67%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

58%

47%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

46%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

51%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

51%

55%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 202 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 203 -

- 204 -

Intellectual Property and YouthFINLAND

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

FINLAND

EU

28%

11%

47%

14%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

84%

40%

31%

85%

56%

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Sport events

0

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

29%

FINLAND

EU

66%

67% PRICE

39%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

38%

BETTER
SELECTION

38% PERSONAL
USE ONLY

FINLAND

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

67%
58%

33%
36%

26%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

FINLAND

EU

Bad personal experience

- 205 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

FINLAND

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

74%

10%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

FINLAND

12%

5%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
52%

46%

21%

19%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

FINLAND

EU

62%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

32%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

15%

CONVENIENCE 

26% GOOD VALUE

FINLAND

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

50%
45%
45%
41%

19%
27%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

Risk of punishment

FINLAND

EU

Bad experience of friends/family

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 88%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 81%

You could be fined 73%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 74%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

68%

43%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

56%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

65%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

61%

70%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 206 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FR ANCE

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

FRANCE

EU

34%

12%

35%

19%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

89%

58%

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

0

85%

56%

25%

29%

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

FRANCE

EU

65%

67% PRICE

32%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

31%

NO NEED 
TO REGISTER

38% PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

FRANCE

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

50%
58%

31%
36%

23%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

FRANCE

EU

Bad personal experience

- 207 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

73%

7%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

46%

36%

24%

46%

33%

19%

S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

FRANCE

11%

9%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Sportswear 
and equipment

40

20

0

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

FRANCE

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

FRANCE

EU

46%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

31%

26%

GOOD VALUE

28%

CAN’T TELL 
THE DIFFERENCE

30% INDIFFERENCE

FRANCE

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

35%
45%
33%
41%
28%
27%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

Harm to my image

FRANCE

EU

Bad experience of friends/family

Risk of punishment

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 84%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 81%

You could be fined 75%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 74%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

72%

58%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

59%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

60%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

62%

69%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 208 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GERMANY

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

GERMANY

EU

18%

7%

58%

17%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

80%

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

0

41%

19%

85%

56%

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

29%

GERMANY

EU

69%

67% PRICE

38%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

36%

NO NEED 
TO REGISTER

33% FASTER 

TO ACCESS

GERMANY

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

47%
36%

45%
58%

41%
28%

Risk of punishment

Availability of affordable content

Bad personal experience

GERMANY

EU

- 209 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

GERMANY

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

GERMANY

EU

8%

7%

74%

11%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

38%

30%

29%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

GERMANY

EU

48%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

34%

26% GOOD VALUE

31%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

GERMANY

EU

GERMANY

EU

59%
41%

39%
27%
39%
27%
45%

Bad personal experience

Bad experience of friends/family 

Bad experience of others 

Risk of punishment 

Availability of affordable originals  

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 81%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 74%

You could be fined 79%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 71%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

72%

52%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

58%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

62%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

71%

70%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 210 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GREE CE

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

GREECE

EU

29%

16%

27%

28%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

92%

90

45

52%

44%

85%

56%

Films 
and series

Music

Games

0

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

29%

GREECE

EU

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

77%

67% PRICE

45%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

37%

EASIER
TO ACCESS

37%

NO NEED
TO REGISTER

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

GREECE

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

63%
58%

38%
36%

35%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

GREECE

EU

Bad personal experience

- 211 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

GREECE

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

GREECE

EU

24%

13%

55%

8%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

46%

33%

26%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

GREECE

EU

73%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

38%

26%

GOOD VALUE

36%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

GREECE

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

51%
41%

47%
45%

36%
27%

27%

Bad personal experience

GREECE

EU

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad experience of friends/family 

Risk of punishment 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 82%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 78%

You could be fined 70%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 74%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

62%

34%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

57%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

51%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

61%

72%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 212 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
H UNG ARY

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

HUNGARY

EU

21%

15%

38%

26%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

0

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

83%

64%

51%

85%

56%

29%

HUNGARY

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

63%

67% PRICE

43%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

37%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

37%

EASIER 
TO ACCESS

HUNGARY

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

76%
58%

24%
36%

22%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

HUNGARY

EU

Bad personal experience

- 213 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

HUNGARY

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

HUNGARY

EU

15%

10%

61%

14%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

42%

42%

24%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

HUNGARY

EU

58%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

28%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

25%

CAN’T TELL
THE DIFFERENCE

26% GOOD VALUE

HUNGARY

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

58%
45%
30%
41%
20%
27%

27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

Risk of punishment 

HUNGARY

EU

Bad experience of friends/family 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 83%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 77%

You could be fined 75%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 71%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

71%

48%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

56%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

62%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

67%

65%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 214 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IRE LAND

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

IRELAND

EU

30%

13%

37%

20%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

87%

85%

53%

42%

56%

29%

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Sport events

0

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

IRELAND

EU

63%

67% PRICE

36%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

36%

BETTER
SELECTION

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

IRELAND

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

70%
58%

33%
36%

27%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

IRELAND

EU

Bad personal experience

- 215 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IRELAND

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

78%

6%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
53%

46%

27%

19%

33%

19%

IRELAND

EU

S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

IRELAND

9%

7%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

65%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

35%

26%

GOOD VALUE

28%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

IRELAND

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

46%
45%
33%
41%
20%
27%

27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

Risk of punishment 

IRELAND

EU

Bad experience of friends/family 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 91%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 84%

You could be fined 80%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 82%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

71%

52%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

55%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

61%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

68%

72%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 216 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ITALY

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

ITALY

EU

21%

14%

44%

21%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

85%

63%

85%

56%

28%

29%

ITALY

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

65%

67% PRICE

39%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

30%

EASIER 
TO ACCESS

33% FASTER 

TO ACCESS

ITALY

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

65%
58%

32%
36%

24%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

ITALY

EU

Bad personal experience

- 217 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

75%

7%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

33%

27%

23%

46%

33%

19%

S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

ITALY

9%

9%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

ITALY

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

ITALY

EU

39%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

26%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

23%

26% GOOD VALUE

ITALY

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

47%
45%
46%
41%

29%
27%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

ITALY

EU

Risk of punishment 

Bad experience of friends/family

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 86%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 80%

You could be fined 77%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 74%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

79%

39%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

65%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

63%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

64%

73%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 218 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 219 -

- 220 -

Intellectual Property and YouthLIT HUANIA

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

LITHUANIA

EU

40%

12%

26%

22%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

85%

85%

66%

49%

56%

29%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

LITHUANIA

EU

63%

67% PRICE

43%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

36%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS

LITHUANIA

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

61%
58%

39%
36%

29%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

LITHUANIA

EU

Bad personal experience

- 221 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

LITHUANIA

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

LITHUANIA

EU

19%

13%

58%

11%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Sportswear 
and equipment

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

36%

22%

18%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

LITHUANIA

EU

77%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

34%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

26%

CAN’T TELL
THE DIFFERENCE

26% GOOD VALUE

LITHUANIA

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

54%
45%
33%
41%
33%
27%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience

Bad experience of others 

LITHUANIA

EU

Risk of punishment
Bad experience of friends/family

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 87%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 82%

You could be fined 80%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 76%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

72%

50%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

61%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

56%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

74%

75%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 222 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LUXEMBOU RG

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

LUXEMBOURG

EU

45%

7%

30%

18%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Sport events

0

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

92%

52%

85%

56%

10%

10%

29%

LUXEMBOURG

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

61%

67% PRICE

43%

NO NEED
TO REGISTER

36%

ABLE TO ACCESS
SINGLE ITEMS 

38%

PERSONAL 
USE ONLY

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

LUXEMBOURG

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

46%
36%

44%
58%

28%

28%

Risk of punishment

LUXEMBOURG

EU

Availability of affordable content

Bad experience of others 

Bad personal experience 

- 223 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

LUXEMBOURG

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

LUXEMBOURG

EU

11%

6%

80%

3%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

34%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Music 
and films

40

20

0

46%

33%

20% 19%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

LUXEMBOURG

EU

64%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

48%

PROTEST AGAINST
BIG BRANDS

27%

AVAILABILITY

30% INDIFFERENCE

26% GOOD VALUE

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

LUXEMBOURG

EU

LUXEMBOURG

EU

42%
27%

39%
27%

31%
45%

41%

Risk of punishment

Bad experience of friends/family 

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 92%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 83%

You could be fined 80%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 71%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

80%

38%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

61%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

59%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

82%

78%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 224 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MAL TA

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

MALTA

EU

31%

8%

31%

30%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

97%

85%

56%

61%

37%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

29%

MALTA

EU

86%

67% PRICE

61%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY 

56%

EASIER
TO ACCESS

33% FASTER

TO ACCESS

MALTA

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

40%
58%

32%

28%

36%

28%

Availability of affordable content

Bad experience of others 

Will not stop

Risk of punishment

MALTA

EU

Bad personal experience

- 225 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

71%

8%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

47%

37%

46%

33%

19%

19%

S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

MALTA

15%

6%

Clothing
Electronics
Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches
Sportswear 
and equipment

40

20

0

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

MALTA

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

MALTA

EU

85%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

29%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

20%

CAN’T TELL
THE DIFFERENCE

26%

GOOD VALUE

MALTA

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

60%
45%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad experience of others

Harm to my image

36%
36%
41%
27%
27% Risk of punishment

Bad personal experience

Bad experience of family/friends

MALTA

EU

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 92%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 84%

You could be fined 71%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 77%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

65%

42%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

59%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

53%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

55%

76%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 226 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
N ETHERLAND S

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

NETHERLANDS

EU

37%

10%

34%

19%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

90%

52%

85%

56%

26%

29%

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

NETHERLANDS

EU

77%

67% PRICE

38%

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

35%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY 

NETHERLANDS

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

41%
58%

41%
36%

30%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

NETHERLANDS

EU

Bad personal experience  

- 227 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

NETHERLANDS

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

NETHERLANDS

EU

10%

7%

73%

11%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Telecom

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

33% 32%

20%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

NETHERLANDS

EU

72%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

40%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

33%

26%

GOOD VALUE

NETHERLANDS

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

41%
41%
34%
45%

29%
27%

27%

Bad personal experience 

NETHERLANDS

EU

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad experience of friends/family

Risk of punishment

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 81%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 76%

You could be fined 73%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 66%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

65%

37%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

53%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

54%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

69%

66%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 228 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
P OLAND

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

POLAND

EU

22%

14%

38%

26%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

72%

65%

45%

85%

56%

29%

POLAND

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

63%

67% PRICE

46%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY 

40%

EASIER
TO ACCESS

33% FASTER

TO ACCESS

POLAND

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

73%
58%

30%
36%

23%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

POLAND

EU

Bad personal experience  

- 229 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

POLAND

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

POLAND

EU

17%

13%

56%

15%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

41% 40%

46%

33%

19%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

POLAND

EU

60%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

25%

CONVENIENCE

23%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

26% GOOD VALUE

POLAND

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

47%
45%

32%
27%

31%
27%

41%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad experience of friends/family

Risk of punishment 

Bad personal experience 

POLAND

EU

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 83%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 77%

You could be fined 73%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 76%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

71%

53%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

59%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

60%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

62%

70%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 230 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
P ORT UG AL

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

PORTUGAL

EU

31%

15%

31%

23%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

82%

62%

85%

56%

37%

29%

PORTUGAL

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

75%

67% PRICE

44%

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

43%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY 

PORTUGAL

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

63%
58%

31%
36%

28%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

PORTUGAL

EU

Bad personal experience  

- 231 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

PORTU GAL

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

PORTUGAL

EU

11%

5%

75%

9%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
53%

46%

29%

20%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

PORTUGAL

EU

76%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

37%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

30%

CAN’T TELL
THE DIFFERENCE

26%

GOOD VALUE

PORTUGAL

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

74%
45%
40%
41%
23%
27%
23%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience 

Risk of punishment 

PORTUGAL

EU

Bad experience of friends/family 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 88%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 79%

You could be fined 78%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 78%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

71%

47%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

56%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

68%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

67%

66%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 232 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
R OMANIA

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

ROMANIA

EU

17%

20%

27%

36%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

73%

62%

45%

85%

56%

29%

ROMANIA

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

52%

67% PRICE

40%

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

40%

EASIER 
TO ACCESS 

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY

ROMANIA

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

52%
58%

36%
36%

31%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

ROMANIA

EU

Bad personal experience  

- 233 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

ROMANIA

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

ROMANIA

EU

15%

17%

55%

13%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

Jewellery 
and watches

40

20

0

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
55%

46%

32%

19%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

ROMANIA

EU

57%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

23%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

20%

26%

GOOD VALUE

ROMANIA

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

43%
45%

42%
41%

20%
27%
27%

Availability of affordable originals 

Bad personal experience 

ROMANIA

EU

Bad experience of friends/family 

Risk of punishment 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 87%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 81%

You could be fined 76%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 82%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

75%

56%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

62%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

67%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

62%

72%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 234 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 235 -

- 236 -

Intellectual Property and YouthS LOVENIA

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

SLOVENIA

EU

35%

15%

24%

25%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

90

45

0

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

92%

66%

44%

85%

56%

29%

SLOVENIA

EU

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

74%

67% PRICE

50%

33%

FASTER
TO ACCESS

50%

38%

PERSONAL
USE ONLY 

SLOVENIA

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

49%
36%

39%
58%

37%
28%

Risk of punishment

SLOVENIA

EU

Availability of affordable content

Bad personal experience  

- 237 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

SLOVENIA

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

SLOVENIA

EU

20%

9%

61%

10%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Main counterfeit goods purchased online
52%

46%

37%

30%

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

33%

19%

SLOVENIA

EU

S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

84%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

47%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

40%

CAN’T TELL
THE DIFFERENCE

26%

GOOD VALUE

SLOVENIA

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

51%
41%
42%
41%
27%

Bad personal experience 

Bad experience of others 

SLOVENIA

EU

Bad experience of friends/family 

45% Availability of affordable originals  

27%

Risk of punishment

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 90%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 82%

You could be fined 78%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 71%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

77%

41%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

64%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

58%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

74%

80%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 238 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 239 -

- 240 -

Intellectual Property and YouthSWE DEN

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

SWEDEN

EU

32%

14%

33%

21%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

91%

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Sport events

0

85%

56%

31%

20% 20%

29%

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

SWEDEN

EU

61%

67% PRICE

48%

BETTER
SELECTION

36%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS 

38% PERSONAL 
USE ONLY 

SWEDEN

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

68%
58%

37%
36%

25%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

SWEDEN

EU

Bad personal experience  

- 241 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

SWEDEN

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

EU

67%

14%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

SWEDEN

10%

9%

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

57%

24%

46%

33%

17%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

SWEDEN

EU

70%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

30%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

28%

CAN’T TELL
THE DIFFERENCE

26% GOOD VALUE

SWEDEN

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

52%
45%

40%
41%

37%
27%

27%

Availability of affordable originals  

Bad personal experience 

SWEDEN

EU

Risk of punishment 

Bad experience of friends/family 

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 84%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 75%

You could be fined 70%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 66%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

65%

37%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

57%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

55%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

61%

63%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 242 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
UN ITED  KINGDOM

- Youth IP perception and online behaviour  -

DIGITAL CONTENT
Usage of illegal sources

T
N
E
T
N
O
C

E
N
I
L
N
O

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

19%

14%

48%

19%

25%

13%

40%

22%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t use

Don’t know

Main digital content accessed from illegal sources

84%

85%

53%

35%

56%

29%

90

45

Films 
and series

Music

Games

Sport events

0

Main reasons to choose illegal sources

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

63%

67% PRICE

38%

NO LEGAL 
OPTION

35%

BETTER 
SELECTION

35%

33%

FASTER 
TO ACCESS 

38% PERSONAL 
USE ONLY 

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

Reasons to stop using illegal sources

65%
58%

35%
36%

32%
28%

Availability of affordable content

Risk of punishment

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

Bad personal experience  

- 243 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
D
O
O
G

L
A
C
I
S
Y
H
P

UNITED KINGDOM

PHYSICAL GOODS
Bought counterfeit goods online

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

10%

12%

71%

7%

12%

10%

68%

10%

Intentionally

Unintentionally

Don’t buy

Don’t know

Main counterfeit goods purchased online

49%

32%

16%

46%

33%

19%

Main reasons to buy counterfeit goods online

Clothing

Electronics

Footwear

40

20

0

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

56%

58% CHEAPER 

THAN GENUINE

30%

30%

INDIFFERENCE

25%

26%

GOOD VALUE

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

Reasons to stop buying counterfeit goods online

42%
45%

Availability of affordable originals  

Bad personal experience 

36%
41%
26%
27%
27% Risk of punishment 

Bad experience of others 

Bad experience of friends/family 

UNITED KINGDOM

EU

COMMUNICATING ON PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING

Your credit card

details could be stolen 86%

Your computer could be

infected by viruses 80%

You could be fined 77%

Counterfeit goods don't come

with a guarantee 75%

 Money spent on
counterfeit goods supports
organised crime

73%

52%

Counterfeit goods 
and piracy are not cool

59%

Counterfeit goods can be 
bad for the environment

63%

Counterfeits and piracy 
harm creators and artists

71%

72%

Counterfeits and piracy
can take the job of someone
you know
Counterfeit goods 
can be dangerous

- 244 -

Intellectual Property and Youth 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Catalogue number: TB-04-16-566-EN-N

ISBN: 978-92-9156-220-6

DOI: 10.2814/616091