How the Global InfoCons App Supports Consumer Protection and Intellectual Property Rights
The protection of intellectual property rights is increasingly connected to consumer safety, digital education, informed purchasing decisions and access to reliable information. In an environment characterized by the rapid circulation of products through both physical and digital marketplaces, consumers are increasingly exposed to the risks associated with counterfeit, pirated, dangerous or non-compliant products. In this context, technological innovation and rapid access to verified information play an essential role.
Through the Global InfoCons App – available in 33 languages – InfoCons supports consumers by offering an integrated digital tool dedicated to consumer protection, anti-counterfeiting awareness, product transparency and real-time access to European alerts on dangerous and non-compliant products. The app combines consumer education, technological innovation, product verification tools and access to official information within a single digital ecosystem.
Consumer safety and counterfeit product alerts
Counterfeit and non-compliant products are not only an infringement of intellectual property rights, but also a significant risk to consumers' health, safety and economic interests. Products that do not comply with European safety standards may expose consumers to chemical, electrical, mechanical, digital or health-related risks. Through the app, consumers can directly access European alerts concerning dangerous, counterfeit, non-compliant and recalled products, as well as those presenting health and safety risks.
The app also supports the awareness campaigns developed by InfoCons, such as "Choose the Original, Choose Safe!" and "Stop Counterfeiting! Stop Piracy!", promoting the importance of purchasing original, compliant and properly certified products.
Intellectual property education through the app
Beyond its alert and verification functionalities, the app is also an important educational tool. Through a simple barcode or QR code scan, consumers can access information on ingredients, food additives, allergens, nutritional values, sugar, salt and calorie content, energy efficiency labels, alerts and product compliance information. Its educational dimension promotes informed choices and raises awareness of originality, product authenticity and intellectual property protection. Being available in 33 languages, the app disseminates consumer protection messages at European and international level.
Real-time European alerts and product verification
Through the barcode scanning function, consumers can check whether a product is subject to a European alert before buying or using it. The app provides information on the product name, product category, country of origin, type of risk identified, alert description, measures adopted at European level and associated images. In addition to the alert system, the app offers barcode scanning for agri-food products, QR code scanning for energy labels, the comparison of up to 10 products simultaneously, the saving of scanned products, personalized lists, photographing labels to identify additives, and information sharing. Through these tools, the app strengthens consumer protection and supports anti-counterfeiting efforts at European and international level.
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