The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) and Footwear Retailers and Distributors of America (FDRA) are among 12 trade organizations calling on Congress to swiftly implement legislation to end the online sale of “harmful counterfeits” and dangerous ”.
In a letter to congressional leaders on Wednesday, the organizations wrote that they were specifically pushing for passage of the Shop Safe Act and the Inform Consumers Act, which set better rules for the safe and secure conduct of e-commerce. in the United States to protect consumers from counterfeits and stolen goods sold through online marketplaces.
“Each bill introduces unique improvements in e-commerce that will immediately reduce the availability and online sale of dangerous and fraudulent consumer goods to unsuspecting customers, who unwittingly line the pockets of unscrupulous sellers and criminals. organized, and siphon off legitimate business, labor and tax revenues that could be used for essential government and community services, ”the organizations wrote in a letter to Congress.
According to the letter, the Inform Consumers Act imposes new audit, disclosure and take-down responsibilities by e-commerce marketplaces for all consumer goods and establishes a regulatory mechanism administered and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and at the level state by state attorneys general.
The Shop Safe Act aims to provide a strong incentive for online marketplaces to check and vet third-party sellers. It also demands that platforms apply effective policies to remove lists of counterfeits that involve health and safety and to terminate the accounts of repeat offenders – or be subject to contributory liability for trademark infringement, the letter said.
“After decades of e-commerce growth in the absence of rules to ensure fair business practices, more guidance from Congress is needed,” the letter continued. “Our members work closely with e-commerce platforms to protect our customers, but now is the time to standardize the rules in all online marketplaces to make customers as safe online as when they buy products in online markets. physical stores. “
This letter follows last week’s push by CEOs of 20 major retailers across the United States, expressing urgent concern over the growing impact of organized retail crime. Executives, which included top brass from Dick’s, Nordstrom and Target, implored lawmakers to pass the Inform Consumers Act as a spike in retail crime has been seen across the country this holiday season .
