CEO DATELINE - More associations join fight against Chinese retailer
CEO DATELINE - More associations join fight against Chinese retailer
- October 27, 2016 |
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Walt Williams
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Eighteen U.S. and foreign associations are urging federal officials to re-list Chinese retailer Alibaba as a "notorious market" for allegedly selling counterfeit goods through its online outlets.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association and Auto Care Association had previously urged re-listing in early October. AAFA announced Wednesday that 16 associations had joined the call. Among them are the Council of Fashion Designers in America, Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Trade Association and Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
"We take counterfeits very seriously because of the damage it causes our member companies, international workers, and U.S. consumers. To date, Alibaba has not fixed this problem," AAFA CEO Rick Helfenbein said.
The notorious markets list is maintained by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and includes foreign businesses that engage in copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting. Alibaba's online outlet Taobao was taken off the list in 2012 after promises by the company it would take steps to remove counterfeit goods from its selection.
"Every day we read about Alibaba's continued global expansion," Helfenbein said. "While this is great for their shareholders, we are deeply concerned that they have not been as proactive on counterfeits as they could have been." http://bit.ly/2eUdFpg
In a blog post, Alibaba President Michael Evans called the associations' accusations "uninformed and misleading."
"The American Apparel and Footwear Association has been quick to paint Alibaba as a bad actor for listings of counterfeit goods on its e-commerce platforms," Evans said. "But in doing so, it ignores virtually all of the relevant facts as to the enormous resources Alibaba has committed to combating counterfeiting, as well as the continually expanding and ever-more-effective programs it has developed as a part of those efforts." http://bit.ly/2faPuXD
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