The Innovative App That Helps You With Alerts on Products Infringing Intellectual Property Rights : The Global InfoCons App
In an increasingly globalized and digital marketplace, consumers are exposed every day to the risk of buying counterfeit, pirated or non-compliant products. InfoCons has developed a unique consumer protection app – an innovative solution that enables people to make more informed choices before purchasing products and services. Our objective is not only to provide access to information, but also to empower consumers through digital innovation by giving them practical tools to identify risks and actively contribute to a safer and more transparent marketplace.
One app, many risks covered
Counterfeit products are not merely an infringement of intellectual property rights; they also pose a real danger to the health, safety and economic interests of consumers. A product that does not comply with European safety standards may expose consumers to chemical, electrical, mechanical, digital or health-related risks. The InfoCons app was designed precisely to address each of these types of risk, turning technical information – often hard to access – into a simple tool available to anyone, right in front of the shelf.
One of the app's key features is the Alerts section, which allows consumers to verify whether a product is subject to official safety alerts issued at European level. The app provides updated information on both food and non-food products, including the product name, the country concerned, the level of risk, the country of origin, the date on which the alert was published and an image of the product.
How the app supports the protection of intellectual property
These alerts concern products presenting direct risks to consumers and contribute to preventing the circulation of unsafe products, whether offered in physical stores or through online marketplaces. In this way, the app does not only inform – it prevents: a consumer who checks a product before purchase can avoid an item that has been recalled or one that unlawfully imitates a well-known trademark.
At the same time, the app contributes to the protection of intellectual property by encouraging consumers to play an active role. Through dedicated functionalities, citizens can report products or services that may infringe intellectual property rights through counterfeiting or piracy, allowing the relevant competent authorities to receive valuable information that may support enforcement activities. In this way, every consumer becomes a partner in the shared effort to make the marketplace fairer.
Education, transparency and access in 33 languages
Beyond the alerts, the app was developed to help consumers better understand the products they purchase, the importance of transparency and the risks associated with counterfeit or non-compliant goods. Through a simple barcode or QR code scan, consumers can access relevant information about a product. The educational dimension of the app contributes directly to promoting informed choices and to raising awareness of originality, product authenticity and the protection of intellectual property.
Available in 33 languages, the app helps to disseminate consumer protection and intellectual property awareness messages at European and international level, supporting consumers from different countries in accessing relevant information quickly and easily. Through its educational functionalities and its public awareness role, the app helps to strengthen a culture based on responsibility, transparency, originality and informed consumer behaviour.
This is the strength of the InfoCons app: a unique, innovative application that combines information, prevention and the active participation of citizens. In the context of the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, the app is a concrete demonstration of how digital innovation can support respect for intellectual property rights and protect consumers in Romania and around the world.
Intellectual property and the everyday consumer
Intellectual property is often perceived as a technical subject reserved for lawyers and large companies. In reality, it is present in the life of each of us, every single day. The trademark on a product tells us who made it and guarantees a certain standard of quality; patents make it possible for new medicines, technologies and innovative solutions to emerge; copyright rewards the work of those who create cultural and educational content. When these rights are infringed through counterfeiting or piracy, the first to suffer is often the consumer.
Counterfeit products mean not only economic losses for companies and public budgets, but also a real danger to people's health and safety. Counterfeit toys, cosmetics, car parts, medicines or electronics can endanger consumers' lives, precisely because they are made without respecting quality and safety standards. In an increasingly digital economy, where online commerce erases borders, these risks multiply, and the need for accurate, rapid information becomes essential.
That is precisely why InfoCons has developed a unique and innovative consumer protection app that allows people to check products before buying them, consult European safety alerts and report products suspected of counterfeiting or piracy. Through this digital tool, every consumer becomes an active partner in the shared effort to make the marketplace safer, more transparent and fairer.
InfoCons' participation in the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, through its President Sorin Mierlea, is part of this steady commitment: bringing the voice of Romanian and European consumers to the world's foremost intellectual property forum and turning global debates into concrete protection for citizens.
InfoCons, a voice for consumers in international forums
InfoCons is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO, the only consumer protection organization in Romania accredited within this international forum. This official recognition places Romania on the global map of organizations that contribute to the international dialogue in the field of intellectual property. Through its participation in WIPO meetings and working groups, InfoCons promotes consumer interests and supports policies that encourage innovation and the fight against counterfeiting.
At European level, InfoCons is an active member of the EUIPO Observatory – the European Union Intellectual Property Office – with an important role within the Civil Society Working Group. At national level, the organization has been part, since 2006, of the Working Group on Intellectual Property Matters, coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. This involvement on three levels – national, European and international – gives InfoCons a complete perspective on the counterfeiting phenomenon.
The organization's commitment translates into concrete actions: European projects dedicated to young people, large-scale awareness campaigns and an innovative app that puts information within reach of every consumer. All of these share a common denominator: the conviction that respect for intellectual property rights and consumer protection are two sides of the same coin.
In this context, the presence of InfoCons at the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, through its President Sorin Mierlea, is a natural continuation of nearly two decades of work dedicated to defending consumer interests in the field of intellectual property.
From information to action: the role of the InfoCons app
InfoCons' objective is not only to provide access to information, but also to empower consumers through digital innovation. The InfoCons app – a unique, innovative application – gives them practical tools to identify risks and actively contribute to a safer and more transparent marketplace. Through a simple barcode or QR code scan, consumers can access relevant information about products, right in front of the shelf.
One of the key features is the alerts section, which makes it possible to verify whether a product is subject to official safety alerts issued at European level, for both food and non-food products. The app provides information on the product name, the country concerned, the level of risk, the country of origin, the date the alert was published and an image of the product. At the same time, through dedicated functionalities, citizens can report products or services that may infringe intellectual property rights through counterfeiting or piracy.
Available in 33 languages, the app helps to disseminate consumer protection and intellectual property awareness messages at European and international level. Its educational dimension promotes informed choices and a culture based on responsibility, transparency and originality.
The presence of InfoCons at the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, through its President Sorin Mierlea, is a concrete demonstration of how digital innovation can support respect for intellectual property rights and protect consumers in Romania and around the world.
Signature: InfoCons Consumer Protection and Intellectual Property Department