The platform becomes the checkpoint
The European Commission fined AliExpress €*** million (~$*** million) on July **, ****, for failing to assess and mitigate risks involving illegal, unsafe and counterfeit merchandise under the Digital Services Act. Its announcement explicitly cited counterfeit clothing. Temu was fined €*** million (~$*** million) on May **, ****, for deficiencies in assessing illegal-product risks.
The decisions cover several product groups and should not be presented as apparel-only penalties. Their significance for fashion lies in the enforcement model: removing an illegal listing after a complaint is no longer enough. Large marketplaces are expected to verify sellers, evaluate risks generated by recommendation and promotion systems, and demonstrate that their controls reduce the chance of non-compliant goods reaching consumers.
A system overwhelmed by volume
