Official “Notorious Market” Report Is Released

The Office of the United States Trade Representative has released its fifth annual review of “notorious markets.” A post from Intellectual Property Watch highlights some major findings, noting that for the first time the report includes problematic internet domain name registrars. “Some registrars apparently even advertise to the online community that they will not take action against illicit activity, presumably to incentivize registrations by owners and operators of illicit sites,” a USTR spokesperson said. Both online and physical markets are covered in the report. Taobao.com, the online shopping portal that is part of the Chinese Alibaba Group, is singled out for having made progress against counterfeiting and piracy, but China is cited as the number one source for physical counterfeiting.