Notorious Markets Report Pharma Focus

January 8th,  the USTR released the findings of its 2024 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy (the Notorious Markets List).  The Notorious Markets List highlights online and physical markets that reportedly engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.
 
“Counterfeiting and piracy is a shared global concern, harming people not just in the United States but also other countries.  I urge our trading partners to join with us on the fight against counterfeits and pirated goods,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai.  “The health and safety concerns posed by counterfeit medicines are particularly troubling.  That is why this year’s report looks further at illicit online pharmacies and counterfeit medicines.”
 
This year’s Notorious Markets List’s issue focus section examines illicit online pharmacies and counterfeit medicines.  The issue focus describes the growth in illicit online pharmacies and the dangers of counterfeit medicines, including the health and safety risks.  USTR calls on trading partners to improve on criminal and border enforcement against counterfeit goods, particularly counterfeit medicines.
 
The report also highlights a number of successes from the past year involving efforts by and collaboration among the U.S. government, foreign governments, and stakeholders.  One example is the multi-year effort that led to the closure of Fmovies in Vietnam.  Fmovies was one of the world’s most popular websites for streaming pirated copies of popular movies and television shows and has been identified in the Notorious Markets List since 2017.  Other examples include major piracy and counterfeit enforcement operations by Brazil, Kuwait, and the Philippines.
 
The 2024 Notorious Markets List identifies 38 online markets and 33 physical markets that are reported to engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.  The Notorious Markets List reflects the evolving nature of counterfeit sales in China by identifying the social commerce platform Douyin Mall, owned by ByteDance, for the first time.  The 2024 Notorious Markets List also continues to identify the other China-based e-commerce and social commerce markets Taobao, DHGate, and Pinduoduo, as well as the cloud storage service Baidu Wangpan.  Other listed markets include seven physical markets around China known for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of counterfeit goods. 
 
The complete 2024 Notorious Markets List can be found here.