The international community is losing the war against counterfeiting and piracy, a booming global industry that is increasingly under the control of organised crime, according to senior officials speaking at a conference in Rome.

The anti-piracy conference this week, organised by the the Italian government’s anti-piracy commission, was warned that almost everything was being counterfeited – from fake “Colgate” toothpaste containing harmful bacteria and antifreeze made in Thailand to “Dasani” water poured from the tap in Beijing. More dangerous was the growing market in counterfeit aviation and car parts, and fake drugs.