Washington DC, 4 November 2021 TIC Council Americas has published its recommendations for combating the growth of counterfeit goods sold in the United States following the Senate hearing on “Cleaning Up Online Marketplaces: Protecting Against Stolen, Counterfeit, and Unsafe Goods”.

As a part of the Buy Safe and Shop Safe Coalitions, TIC Council Americas publicly supports the INFORM Consumers Act legislation to increase transparency and accountability for online marketplaces amid the rapidly growing problem of illicit goods sold online, as well as the SHOP SAFE Act of 2021 on contributory liability for the use of a counterfeit mark by third parties on electronic commerce platforms. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and growth of online retail sites, the sale of counterfeit products has grown exponentially over the last few years. In a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) study, it is estimated that seizures of counterfeit or infringing products had increased 10-fold between the years of 2000 and 2018 and has only continued to grow. With it comes lost revenue to legitimate businesses, increased risks to safety, reliability and security, and a loss of consumers’ trust. 

“The reality is that rogue operators  who counterfeit consumer products will most probably not test their products  for safety, said Karin Athanas, TIC Council Americas Executive Director, Instead, to give a false sense of assurance to buyers, they counterfeit the testing marks on the product to falsely indicate  that they meet US and Industry requirements for safety and function. We need to work together to address these difficult issues and continue our work to defend the health and safety of consumers. And that's why the TIC Council Americas is an active participant of both the Buy Safe and Shop Safe Coalitions.

To find out more about the TIC sector recommendations read our Position Paper by clicking the link here.

Visit BuySafeAmerica.org and read their study on the Impact of Counterfeit Consumer Products Smuggled into the United States for more information on protecting communities from counterfeit and stolen goods, and solutions to better protect consumers and businesses.

 

Media contact:
Karin Athanas
Executive Director Americas Region
2021 L Street NW, Suite 101-268
Washington, DC 20036-4909
USA
tel: +1 240 762 8069

 

Editor’s Note About TIC Council :

TIC Council is the global trade federation representing the independent third-party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry which brings together more than 90-member companies and organizations from around the world to speak with one voice. Its members provide services across a wide range of sectors: consumer products, medical devices, petroleum, mining and metals, food, and agriculture among others. Through provision of these services, TIC Council members assure that not only regulatory requirements are met, but also that reliability, economic value, and sustainability are enhanced. TIC Council’s members are present in more than 160 countries and employ more than 300,000 people across the globe.

The Value of TIC Report

To learn more about ourselves and our member’s activities, the landmark report on the Value of the Testing, Inspection and Certification sector, developed jointly by the international law firm Steptoe and the London-based consultancy Europe Economics is now available to read. This report illustrates by using data and case studies to support the claim how the testing, inspection, and certification sector benefits a variety of stakeholders across a large number of sectors and industries around the world.

You can find the study here, and we welcome you to share it with anyone who might be interested.

The Buy Safe America Coalition represents 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.