Vol. 54 No. 3 (2026): Published on September 30, 2026.
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2026/3/2223
Competition in intellectual property: socio-economic consequences and protection mechanisms for consumers
Relevance. Accelerated distribution of counterfeit goods through digital platforms and marketplaces, where trademarks and confusingly similar signs are used unlawfully. Such practices affect consumer choice before a legal decision is made and reduce returns on brand investment. Aim. To identify the socio-economic consequences of unfair competition and develop a three-level model for protecting rights holders and consumers that focuses on measurable market outcomes, including consumer behavior. Methods. Systemic, formal legal and institutional economic analysis, case studies, descriptive statistics and relative-change calculations based on data from National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russian Public Opinion Research Center, World Intellectual Property Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Results. In Russia, the share of respondents who encountered counterfeit products decreased from 43% in 2020 to 36% in 2023, while the share who purchased them fell from 21 to 18%. However, purchasers as a share of exposed consumers remained almost unchanged: 48.8% in 2020 and 50.0% in 2023. A 2026 survey found that 41% of Russians had noticed imitation goods, 33% of those exposed had purchased them, and 74% of purchasers reported lower quality than the original. Conclusions. Measures reducing counterfeit availability show partial effectiveness, while behavioural risk persists. The proposed model integrates preventive legal protection, digital monitoring and post-conflict recovery. The study reframes protection from formal termination of infringement toward measurable reductions in mistaken or inadvertent purchases, consumer harm, and loss of consumer trust.
For citation: Korshunov S.A., Barysheva G.A. Competition in intellectual property: socio-economic consequences and protection mechanisms for consumers. Journal of Wellbeing Technologies, 2026, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 169–181. https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2026/3/2223
Keywords:
unfair competition, intellectual property, digital economy, means of individualization, reputational capital, counterfeiting, consumer behavior, trust, conscious consumption, protection mechanisms
References:
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