The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has released its 2024 report on notorious markets, which identifies 38 online markets (down from 39 last year) and 33 physical markets (unchanged) around the world that reportedly engage in, facilitate, turn a blind eye to, or benefit from substantial copyright piracy or trademark counterfeiting. USTR notes that this list does not constitute an exhaustive list of all markets reported to deal in or facilitate commercial-scale copyright piracy or trademark counterfeiting, nor does it reflect findings of legal violations or the U.S. government’s analysis of the general IPR protection and enforcement climate in the countries concerned.
This year’s report includes a section examining the risks and growing availability of counterfeit medicines, which has been driven by the proliferation of illicit online pharmacies, which in turn has been facilitated by the rise in popularity of e-commerce. This section notes that in fiscal year 2023 U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more pharmaceutical items than any other single category of counterfeit good, with more than 1.5 million items seized.
The report continues to highlight ongoing concerns, including the proliferation of counterfeit sales facilitated by the confluence of e-commerce platforms and social media. However, it also notes some positive developments over the past year in addressing the widespread availability of counterfeit and pirated goods in some online and physical markets.
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