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Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade
  • Home
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    • Support SHOP SAFE Act
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    • Featured Report: The Human Cost of Illicit Trade
    • Featured Report: Fraudulent Advertising Online
    • Featured project: Global Illicit Trade Index
    • Featured Report: Illicit Trade and the UNSDGs
    • Featured Report: The Link Between Illicit Trade and Sovereign Credit Ratings
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Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods

**NEW** TRACIT LETTER TO HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI
  • TRACIT urges the inclusion of both the SHOP SAFE Act (H.R. 5374/S. 1843) and the INFORM Consumers Act (H.R. 5502/S. 936) in the final America Competes Act.  
  • USTR identifies 42 online markets facilitating counterfeiting and points out that the greatest risk of importation of counterfeit goods is inadequate policies and inadequate action by e-commerce companies.
  • TRACIT letter to US House and Senate
  • Correcting the facts on Shop Safe
  • Why critical consumer and IP protections are needed now
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Apart from narcotics trafficking, counterfeiting and piracy account for the largest economic value of all forms of illicit trade. The problem has intensified to staggering levels, and the OECD reports a 154% increase in counterfeits traded internationally, from $200 billion in 2005 to $509 billion in 2016. Similar information collected by US Customs during 2000 to 2018, shows that seizures of infringing goods at US borders has increased 10-fold, from 3,244 to 33,810. Up to 5% of goods imported into the European Union are fakes, with China listed as the top producer. (OECD & EUIPO, 2016). Widespread counterfeiting and piracy divert profits and potential tax revenues to actors in the “underground economy,” while putting both the economy and the health and safety of consumers at risk.

Counterfeiting and piracy occur across multiple industry sectors and can extend to other and similar problems. For example, unbranded petroleum products and substandard pharmaceuticals may be considered fakes, but may not necessarily encompass an intellectual property (IP) infringement. Examples of digital illicit trade common to facilitating piracy of copyright works and live events—though storage, download and streaming—include cybercrimes and money-laundering in the financial system.

Counterfeiting and piracy activities distort marketplace competition for a wide range of sectors and both local and international brands. Other potential costs to business include:
  • Loss of market shares, particularly due to unfair competition practices
  • Increased monitoring of the supply chain
  • Regulatory compliance costs
  • Liability stemming from health and safety of consumers
  • Reputational risks
  • Security and insurance costs

Buy Safe America Coalition

TRACIT joins the Buy Safe America Coalition

TRACIT has joined the Buy Safe America coalition, a diverse group of responsible retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials who support efforts at all levels of government to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods. The coalition supports legislation that requires online marketplaces to collect and verify basic information of third parties who sell products on their platforms. Visit the Coalition here.
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Featured TRACIT reports

Fraudulent Advertising Online: Emerging Risks and Consumer Fraud

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​A new report from TRACIT and the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) shows that 70 major international brands were targeted by fraudulent advertisements on Instagram and Facebook since 2017.  The lack of sufficient policies and procedures to verify an advertiser’s true identity and limited vetting during the onboarding process are identified as the main vulnerabilities that enable fraudulent advertising online.  The full report is available here.

Mapping the Impact of Illicit Trade on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

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The TRACIT report Mapping the Impact of Illicit Trade on the Sustainable Development Goals investigates illicit trade in 12 key sectors that participate significantly in international trade and are most vulnerable to illicit trade. For each sector, the negative impacts of illicit trade are mapped against the 17 UN SDGs. The full report is available here.

Read the chapter: 
SDGs and illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods

U.S. Awareness Campaign

USPTO introduces "Go For Real" awareness campaign

The USPTO and NCPC are working together to raise public awareness about the importance of intellectual property and to decrease demand for counterfeit goods in the United States. The Campaign aims to increase the desire to buy genuine goods, raise awareness of the damage caused by counterfeits, change attitudes and change counterfeit buying behaviors by educating young consumers on how to identify and avoid counterfeit goods.  Visit the campaign website here.
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Featured video

Videos and articles on the mechanics of illicit trade. 

Inside the Wild $500 Billion World of Counterfeit Goods is part of  VICE Media's 'Bad Goods' documentary series looking at the worldwide illicit trade market, from wildlife trafficking, counterfeit item selling and sand mining. 
UK IPO Counterfeit Goods Research

New report on consumer perspectives

While considerable evidence exists on the topic, to enable the IPO to effectively achieve its aims, the organisation has identified a need for more consistent research on consumers in relation to the purchasing of counterfeit physical goods.
Visit the portal here.
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U.S. CBP Anti-Counterfeiting Portal

Includes mechanism to report counterfeits

The dangers of buying counterfeit products aren’t always obvious. There are economic impacts, legal implications, and health and safety risks that are important for you to know before you buy. When traveling, buy from reputable sources.
Visit the portal here.
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Special Report

Counterfeit Garments: Non-Compliance with Health and Safety Norms

The report presents findings from testing of counterfeit garments to assess their compliance with health and safety norms. It aims to create awareness among consumers that buying counterfeit garments can
be detrimental to their health. Find the report here
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Learn more about the benefits of the SHOP SAFE Act
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At its core, the Shop Safe Act holds online marketplaces accountable for screening third-party sellers, disclosing more information about the seller to online shoppers, removing counterfeit and stolen product listings, and barring bad actors from selling on their platforms – consumer protections that have all been missing for far too long.

                       SHOP SAFE: THE FACTS
                   SHOP SAFE ACT FACT SHEET
​                   SHOP SAFE ACT FAQ


Press Releases
  • Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT)
  • American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
  • Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP)
  • The Toy Association
  • Communications, Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA)
  • Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
Fact Sheets
  • Correcting the facts on Shop Safe
  • Why critical consumer and IP protections are needed now
  • List of counterfeit products with health and safety implications
  • The Real Threat of FAKE TOYS: The increase of knockoff and counterfeit toys sold online and how to fight back
​Media center
  • Washington Cannot Let Amazon Water-Down Consumer Protection Legislation (Global Trade)
  • Counterfeit Goods a Danger to Public Safety (US DHS)
  • Trade in fake goods is now 3.3% of world trade and rising (OECD)



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Learn how counterfeit and piracy impacts the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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From  smuggling, counterfeiting and tax evasion, to the illegal sale or possession of goods, services, humans and wildlife, illicit trade is compromising the attainment of the UN SDGs in significant ways, crowding out legitimate economic activity, depriving governments of revenues for investment in vital public services, dislocating millions of legitimate jobs and causing irreversible damage to ecosystems and human lives. 

The TRACIT report Mapping the Impact of Illicit Trade on the Sustainable Development Goals investigates illicit trade in 12 key sectors that participate significantly in international trade and are most vulnerable to illicit trade. For each sector, the negative impacts of illicit trade are mapped against the 17 UN SDGs. ​The full report is available here.

Read the chapter: SDGs and illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods

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TRACIT POLICY POSITIONS
General
eCommerce and Fraudulent Advertising TRACIT Principles & Positions

Examples of Counterfeit Products with Health and Safety Implications

United States
Submission to USTR Notorious Markets List
October 7, 2022

Correcting the facts on Shop Safe
June 12, 2022

Why critical consumer and IP protections are needed now
June 12, 2022

Multi-Association letter in support of the SHOP SAFE Act and the INFORM Consumers Act
​December 15, 2021

Multi-Association letter in support of the (House & Senate SHOP SAFE Act
​
June 2, 2021
​
TRACIT written statement on the House SHOP SAFE Act
May 27, 2021

TRACIT letter to sponsors of the INFORM Act
May 11, 2021

TRACIT letter to sponsors of the INFORM Act
April 23, 2021

Multi-Association Letter to US President Biden on IP issues and appointments, February 17, 2021

TRACIT response to US PTO Call for Comment on the Issue of Secondary Trademark Infringement Liability in the E-Commerce Setting, January 21, 2021

TRACIT Submission to USTR 2020 Notorious Markets List, November 6, 2020

TRACIT endorses INFORM Consumers Act, Supports legislative measures to improve verification of online suppliers, July 30, 2020

TRACIT Letter to US Senator Grassley, supporting his outreach to Vice President Pence,
May 7, 2020


TRACIT letter to U.S. Vice President Pence, encouraging diligence to fighting counterfeiting online, (Co-signed) April 9, 2020

WHOIS Submission to the ICANN EPDP (co-signed, April 1, 2020

TRACIT Statement on Fake and Unsafe Products on Online ​Marketplaces to US House ​Subcommittee on Consumer ​Protection​, March 4, 2020

TRACIT Letter to US House
​Co-sponsors of Shop Safe Act 

March 3, 2020

WHOIS Call for Action (co-signed), February 28, 2020

TRACIT Letter to US Senate ​Finance Committee, How Statutory and
Regulatory Barriers Prevent the Sharing of Information on Counterfeits, December 9, 2019


TRACIT input to the Report on the U.S. State of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods Trafficking and Recommendations, July 29, 2019

EU
TRACIT submission to EU open public consultation on the Digital Services Act package, September 8, 2020
​

TRACIT Contribution to European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), April 10, 2020

TRACIT submission to EU consultation on Watch-List, April 11, 2018

Other countries
TRACIT submission to UK Digital Markets Taskforce on pro competitive measures for unlocking competition in digital markets, July 30, 2020

TRACIT submission to Brazil National IP Strategy  August 30, 2020
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Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation under US tax code 501(c)(6).
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  • Home
  • About
    • Our team
    • Our members companies
    • Our corporate Alliance Partners
    • Our affiliations
    • Join
    • FAQs
  • Work Program
    • Support SHOP SAFE Act
    • Covid-19
    • Supply chain survey
    • Featured Report: The Human Cost of Illicit Trade
    • Featured Report: Fraudulent Advertising Online
    • Featured project: Global Illicit Trade Index
    • Featured Report: Illicit Trade and the UNSDGs
    • Featured Report: The Link Between Illicit Trade and Sovereign Credit Ratings
  • Sectors
    • Agri-food industry
    • Alcohol
    • Counterfeiting & Piracy
    • Cultural Property
    • Fisheries
    • Forced labor
    • Forestry
    • Pesticides
    • Petroleum
    • Pharmaceuticals
    • Precious metals and gemstones
    • Tobacco
    • Wildlife
  • Resources
    • News and Events
    • TRACIT Talking Points
    • Publications
    • Videos
  • Contact