AAFA compliments administration for efforts to stifle counterfeits

Posted October 14, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Apparel & Footwear Association President and CEO Steve Lamar welcomed the October 13 Presidential Memorandum on Stopping Counterfeit Trafficking on E-Commerce Platforms Through Fines and Civil Penalties by the Trump Administration.

Pointing to continued increases in online shopping, and growing concerns with the availability of counterfeit products via e-commerce platforms and third-party online marketplaces, Lamar emphasized the need to ensure greater transparency and accountability on the part of these marketplaces. 

“The fight against fake consumer goods is about far more than lost sales and brand reputation,” Lamar said. “Counterfeit products expose consumers to a range of potential product safety hazards. We continue to push e-commerce platforms to prioritize the sale of authentic product and to increase their vetting process for third-party sellers this holiday season and into the year ahead. We look forward to detailed proposals to further reconcile this incredibly concerning, ongoing, and increasingly prevalent issue.”

AAFA already supports two pending bills with the stated goals of improving transparency in the online ecosystem and protecting consumers – the Stopping Harmful Offers on Platforms by Screening Against Fakes in E-Commerce (SHOP SAFE) Act 2020 and the Integrity, Notification and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplace (INFORM) Consumers Act. The association encourages the administration to take these bills into consideration when developing its legislative proposal. 

This week, AAFA unveiled a consumer shopping checklist with tips to inform consumer shopping decisions on online third-party marketplaces. In July, AAFA and the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) issued a joint report detailing the growing incidence of fraudulent advertising and counterfeits on popular social networking platforms. AAFA is also a founding member of the Buy Safe America Coalition.

Visit aafaglobal.org/brandprotection for more.

Source: AAFA