Collins, Roby, Johnson lead roundtable to combat counterfeit products

WASHINGTON — Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Martha Roby (R-Ala.); Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet; and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, will lead a roundtable discussion today with Amazon, eBay, Home Depot, Nike and several other companies to discuss ways to combat the sale of counterfeit products online. The roundtable will help companies voluntarily develop best practices to protect trademarks and consumers. “Counterfeit products pose a significant threat to companies and consumers,” said Collins. “Companies should have confidence that their trademarks will be protected, and consumers should have confidence that they are purchasing authentic and safe products. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case in the online world, so we’re holding today’s roundtable to offer companies and online platforms the chance to come together to protect consumers and promote innovation by safeguarding Americans’ intellectual property.” Counterfeit products are now commonplace across many online platforms. The counterfeit contains the trademark of the legitimate product. Consumers, as a result, often mistakenly purchase these counterfeits thinking they are buying the original product at a discount. This means the genuine manufacturer loses sales because a bad actor is infringing on its trademark, while consumers purchase products that have not undergone the safety and compliance tests applied to the original product. “Counterfeits negatively impact consumers, brands, and marketplaces by hurting confidence in the products we purchase and by posing a public health risk," said Roby. "I look forward to exchanging ideas about solutions to eliminate counterfeits in our online marketplaces especially, and I extend my sincere gratitude to all parties joining us at this roundtable to share unique perspectives.” Counterfeits pose significant, sometimes deadly, threats to health and safety. For example, counterfeit batteries are increasingly common, and, in some cases, the batteries have exploded, burning and injuring consumers. “I have heard many concerns about consumers unknowingly purchasing counterfeit goods through online e-commerce platforms, anecdotes confirmed by a recent GAO study," said Johnson. "As the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, I believe it is important to learn more about the scope of this problem, the steps that e-commerce platforms have taken to give rights-holders an ability to identify counterfeit goods on their website and seek their removal, and whether there is a greater role for Congress to play. I’m pleased to join with Ranking Member Collins and other members of the Subcommittee on hearing from a wide range of stakeholders on these important issues.”  Counterfeit children’s toys put vulnerable people at risk. Counterfeit magnetic building pieces that had not undergone safety testing found their way into the hands of a young child. He was able to break the counterfeit toys and ingest the tiny magnets inside them, which had to be removed by medical professionals.