E-commerce platform Shopee, alongside shopping mall Greenhills, has been included by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on its list of notorious markets for counterfeiting and piracy for 2023.
The list consists of online and offline marketplaces that engage in or facilitate counterfeiting trademarks and piracy of copyright properties.
In a statement given to ABS-CBN News, Shopee said they are “steadfastly committed to protecting intellectual property rights and combatting infringement and expressly prohibits the sale of infringing goods” on their platform.
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USTR did recognize Shopee’s significant investment in its brand protection efforts and helping to end counterfeiting in 2023, including beefing up its one-stop intellectual property portal.
However, the US agency said that “despite positive progress in reporting procedures and takedown turn-around time, right holders noted that these improvements have not materialized consistently across all Shopee platforms.”
USTR added that rights holders repeatedly have to report high-volume counterfeits across Shopee platforms and complained about its persistent communication issues, slow response times, and poor enforcement against persistent infringers, primarily in Shopee Brazil and Indonesia.
Shopee said that it will continue to strengthen its brand protection initiatives and appreciated USTR’s recognition of its efforts.
Greenhills is yet to make a public statement about the matter.
Source: ABS-CBN News