\n
![](\"https:\/\/static.fibre2fashion.com\/Newsresource\/images\/314\/e-commerce-authenticity-inspection-desk_325700.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
The comments were submitted under docket USTR-2026-0529 to Daniel Lee, Assistant US Trade Representative for Innovation and Intellectual Property.<\/p>\n
AAFA has asked the US Trade Representative to include Facebook, Instagram, Alibaba.com, AliExpress and DHGate in its 2026 Notorious Markets report on counterfeiting and piracy.
\nThe US apparel and footwear association said its products remain among US Customs’ top 10 seized commodities in FY25.
\nIt said 41 per cent of 39 counterfeit goods tested in 2026 failed safety standards. <\/p>\n
AAFA represents apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies and their suppliers competing in the global market. Its membership comprises more than 1,100 name brands, and the association added it speaks for the apparel and footwear industry’s management and shareholders, more than 3.24 million US workers and more than $561 billion in annual US retail sales.<\/p>\n
The association said its comments sought to reflect the experiences of both brands and service providers involved in brand protection, including positive comments for nominated platforms and platforms highlighted for special interest.<\/p>\n
Many comments addressed efforts to take down, keep down or remove counterfeit and infringing listings and fraudulent advertisements, but AAFA added such programmes are remedial and impose considerable burden and expense on brands. It urged platforms to improve these programmes and do more to prevent counterfeits from entering the ecosystem, AAFA said in a press release.<\/p>\n
Member products, apparel, footwear and accessories, continued to dominate the top 10 commodities seized by US Customs and Border Protection in its fiscal year 2025 intellectual property rights seizure report. AAFA also cited the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union Intellectual Property Office as finding clothing, footwear, leather goods and electronics among the top targets out of 96 product categories.<\/p>\n
Following a 2022 study, it tested 39 counterfeit products in 2026 and found 41 per cent failed to comply with US and international product safety standards. Nearly half of the counterfeit products tested included hazardous chemicals or heavy metals, meaning consumers could bring dangerous chemicals into their lives when buying counterfeit goods.<\/p>\n
AAFA said counterfeits, fraud and illicit activity affect innovation, domestic jobs and the economy. It cited John A. Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and 60th Director of the USPTO,<\/em><\/strong> who said: \u201c…intellectual property has become the most dominant and most important asset, not only of companies\u2014but of nations themselves.\u201d It also cited USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer as recognising the importance of intellectual property and USTR’s role in seeking strong commitments from trading partners to enhance intellectual property protection.<\/p>\n The association said its members continually introduce new products and seasonal collections, but illicit actors immediately launch counterfeit listings that mirror this work using protected imagery, product names and marketing content. It said this creates risks for rights owners and consumers, and that platform intervention varies significantly.<\/p>\n The comments argued that USTR should list domestic platforms where warranted, saying some problematic online markets have long avoided accountability because they are headquartered in America. AAFA said excluding domestic platforms operating globally would give them an implicit licence to profit from counterfeit product sales to US and global consumers. It cited Meta’s daily active user base of 3.6 billion people, which it described as more than 10 times the US population and nearly half of the global population.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG) <\/p>\n
\n <\/p><\/div>\n