The Trump administration announced it will begin to crack down on online counterfeit products.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a 54-page report on Friday entitled, “Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods,” outlining possible legal actions to curb the selling of many products on e-commerce sites such as Amazon.
“Historically, many counterfeits were distributed through swap meets and individual sellers located on street corners. Today, counterfeits are being trafficked through vast e-commerce supply chains in concert with marketing, sales, and distribution networks,” the department wrote in their report.
The report states that, since 2005, online traffic of counterfeit products increased by 154%, from $200 billion in 2005 to $509 billion in 2016. The increase is in part because of the growing popularity of e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay.
Homeland Security said it will use “all available statutory authorities to pursue civil fines and other penalties” against entities that distribute counterfeit products online.
Amazon has welcomed additional resources with federal law enforcement pertaining to the issue, promising to report counterfeits to respective agencies this year.
