The European Sporting Goods Industry :
81 billion
Has a combined annual turnover of more than 81 billion Euros
700.000
Employs around 700.000 workers
The sporting goods industry exists of three different sectors/product categories:
(athletic) Footwear
(athletic) Apparel
Equipment/hardware
The protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) is one of the major challenges of the sporting goods sector. Counterfeiting in sporting goods in the EU has negative effects on the market (e.g. revenue and job losses). Moreover, investments in innovation are discouraged and consumer safety is at stake if IPRs are infringed.
