Snapdeal, Karol Bagh in US counterfeit blacklist
WASHINGTON: Snapdeal, one of India’s largest e-commerce platforms, along with four Indian shopping complexes, two of them in New Delhi alone, have figured in the latest 2020 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy issued by the Office of the US Trade Representative.
The four Indian markets that have found mention in the list are Heera Panna in Mumbai, Kidderpore in Kolkata and Palika Bazaar and Tank Road in Delhi.
Aizawl’s Millennium Center was mentioned in the last list of notorious markets, but now it has been replaced by Palika Bazaar.
“Holding intellectual prop- erty rights violators accountable and ensuring that American innovators and creators have a full and fair opportunity to use and profit from their work is critical for both physical and online markets,” US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said.
In addition to addressing the role of e-commerce in facilitating the sale of pirated and counterfeit goods, the 2020 Review of Notorious Markets identifies 39 online markets and 34 physical markets that are reported to be engaged in or have facilitated substantial trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy.
The report includes for the first time a section addressing the role of internet platforms in facilitating the importation of counterfeit and pirated goods into the US.
“Today, the greatest risk of importation of counterfeit and pirated goods, harming both US content creators and US consumers, is posed not by foreign flea markets and dark web sites but by inadequate policies and inadequate action by e-commerce companies that market and sell foreign products to American consumers,” Lighthizer said.
“Combating piracy and counterfeits will require sustained effort by both the federal government and by companies that profit from the sale of such goods,” the official said.
Although the majority of counterfeit goods seized by American law enforcement agencies originate in China and Hong Kong—92% by value—the problem is global, with additional major points of origin, including India, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, the report said.
The USTR said Snapdeal remains a concern for right holders who report that the volume of counterfeit products on this platform has increased over the past year.
“According to a November 2018 survey, 37% of purchasers reported that they had received a counterfeit product from Snapdeal... Right holders have also sued Snapdeal for selling counterfeit goods,” it said.