Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd owned e-commerce websites that were added to the US government’s latest “notorious markets” list of organizations that allegedly sell or assist the sale of counterfeit products on Thursday, the US Trade Representative’s office said. The list includes 42 online marketplaces and 35 physical marketplaces that have been accused of engaging in or facilitating significant trademark counterfeiting or copyright theft.
Alibaba and other e-commerce were allowing Trademark Counterfeiting
“This includes identifying for the first time AliExpress (e-commerce platform of Alibaba) and the WeChat e-commerce ecosystem, two important China-based online platforms that allegedly allow massive trademark counterfeiting,” the US Trade Representative’s office stated in a statement.
Baidu Wangpan, DHGate, Pinduoduo, and Taobao remain on the list, as do nine physical markets in China “that are renowned for the creation, distribution, and sale of counterfeit goods,” the US Trade Representative’s office said. The list identifies online and offline markets that allegedly engage in or support significant trademark infringement or copyright piracy. Alibaba stated that it will continue to cooperate with government agencies to address intellectual property protection challenges across its platforms.
Industry trade associations such as the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Motion Picture Association applauded the USTR’s report’s release. In a second study released Wednesday, the US Trade Representative’s office stated that the US has to develop new tactics and update its domestic trade tools to deal with China’s “state-led, non-market policies and practices.”
For years, the United States and China have been embroiled in trade hostilities over issues such as tariffs, technology, and intellectual property. The US has asserted that China has failed to live up to certain of its pledges under a so-called “Phase 1” trade agreement struck by former President Donald Trump’s administration.