WASHINGTON DC (January 28, 2020) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles "Chuck" Grassley released the following statement after the issuance of the Trump administration’s report on the effort to combat trafficking in counterfeit and pirated goods.
“E-commerce has empowered American businesses to reach more consumers, allowing them to increase profits and grow their brand. Unfortunately, it has also become a popular venue for counterfeiters to sell knockoffs to unsuspecting consumers. These illicit goods not only pose a threat to the health and safety of consumers, but they also undercut American intellectual property rights.
“I applaud the administration’s efforts to prevent counterfeit and pirated goods from entering our borders. I urge President Trump to work with Congress to find sensible solutions to this complex problem,” Sen Grassley said.
As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen Grassley has worked to shine a light on the illicit trade of counterfeit goods. On November 7, 2019, Sen Grassley and Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden issued a bi-partisan staff report studying counterfeit goods sold online and their effect on US businesses and consumers. The investigation found that improved information sharing between US Customs and Border Protection and its private-sector partners would aid efforts to identify and curtail the sale of counterfeit imports, some of which may pose significant health and safety threats to consumers.
The committee report, titled “The Fight Against Fakes: How Statutory and Regulatory Barriers Prevent the Sharing of Information on Counterfeits,” can be found here.
