U.S. provides e-commerce sites operated by Tencent, Alibaba to ‘notorious markets’ listing

Feb 17 (Reuters) – E-commerce web pages operated by China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) and Alibaba Group Keeping Ltd (9988.HK) were included to the U.S. government’s latest “infamous marketplaces” listing, the U.S. Trade Representative’s workplace explained on Thursday.

The list identifies 42 online marketplaces and 35 physical markets that are claimed to have interaction in or facilitate significant trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.

“This incorporates pinpointing for the 1st time AliExpress and the WeChat e-commerce ecosystem, two sizeable China-primarily based on line markets that reportedly aid substantial trademark counterfeiting,” the USTR workplace said in a statement.

China-primarily based on line markets Baidu Wangpan, DHGate, Pinduoduo, and Taobao also continue on to be element of the checklist, along with nine bodily markets found within just China “that are known for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of counterfeit products,” the USTR place of work stated.

China does not concur with the U.S. government’s choice to include things like some e-commerce web pages in its infamous marketplaces list, calling the motion “irresponsible,” the Chinese ministry of commerce stated on Friday. read more

Alibaba said it will go on performing with governing administration companies to address problems about mental residence security across its platforms.

Tencent explained it strongly disagreed with the conclusion and was “fully commited to doing work collaboratively to solve this issue.” It extra that it actively monitored, deterred and acted on violations throughout its platforms and experienced invested important assets into mental assets rights safety.

Inclusion on the list is a blow to the status of organizations but carries no direct penalties.

Industry bodies which include the American Attire and Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Motion Image Association welcomed the launch of the report by the USTR.

The USTR place of work claimed in a separate report produced on Wednesday that the United States requires to go after new tactics and update its domestic trade applications to offer with China’s “condition-led, non-industry procedures and methods.”

The United States and China have been engaged in trade tensions for several years over concerns like tariffs, technological know-how and intellectual residence, among other individuals.

The United States has mentioned that China had unsuccessful to make superior on some commitments underneath a so-termed “Period 1” trade settlement signed by the administration of previous President Donald Trump. browse additional

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru Enhancing by Sandra Maler, Lincoln Feast and Mark Porter

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