Discouraging results were released yesterday from a consumer survey on opinions about counterfeit goods and brands. Apparently the majority of Muscovites regard counterfeiting as a crime only if it presents a danger to their health, and if it doesn't, then their attitude toward counterfeits is that they are quite tolerable.

The opinion poll was conducted among 1,200 Muscovites and initiated by the Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and the Consumer Union of Russia.

"Nearly three out of four consumers interviewed admitted purchasing fakes of one or more products in the past two years," said Peter B. Necarsulmer, President of the Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), at a press conference.

"At the same time 75 percent of the respondents said they were unaware that they were purchasing counterfeit products. However, only one quarter knowingly sought out fake products to buy. The main reason for this was the inadequacy of their income for the prices of legally produced goods."

Clothing, footwear (including sportswear), alcohol, food, CDs, DVDs and audio and videocassettes are the counterfeit products most encountered by consumers. At the same time 53 percent of the respondents were able to name specific brands that are counterfeited that they come across most often in the stores and markets where they shop. Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Kristall and Nescafe were among the brands most frequently mentioned. The survey found that most consumers had purchased counterfeit products at open markets, small shops, kiosks, hypermarkets and supermarkets.

In general, 90 percent of all the consumers had a negative attitude towards counterfeit products, including 58 percent who were very negative.

Consumers were much more lenient regarding both clothing and sportswear (22 percent believe that they are ''absolutely acceptable'') and counterfeit music and films (27 percent - ''absolutely acceptable''). Moreover, 77 percent of the consumers agreed with the statement that consumers would never buy legitimate consumer software, CDs or DVDs as long as counterfeit versions were available at low prices. Sixty-three percent of respondents agreed that punishments for distributing certain categories of counterfeits (such as food and medicines) should be much more serious, and for other products they should be weaker or not exist at all (audio and video products).

Nine out of ten consumers said that retailers should provide proof that they are not selling counterfeit goods. However, according to Dmitry Yanin, Chairman of the Board of KonfOP, consumers currently view retailers as the least reliable sources for information about counterfeits. The majority of poll respondents said that they would call a special hotline for consumers to report when and where they encountered counterfeits for sale.