RETAILERS SUPPORT WHITE HOUSE FOCUS ON COUNTERFEIT GOODS, URGE SIMILAR EFFORT ON STOLEN MERCHANDISE AND ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME

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by: Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)

Arlington, VA - April 18, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the trade association for America's leading retailers, today sent a letter to the White House expressing support for the President's commitment to curbing the sale of counterfeit products online, and urged the White House to include combatting the sale of stolen goods as an Administration priority.

"Counterfeit goods undermine intellectual property, pose a serious safety risk for consumers and employees, and help perpetuate organized retail crime," said Jennifer Safavian, RILA executive vice president of government affairs. "Similarly, sophisticated criminal networks are increasingly using online platforms to quickly and discreetly fence stolen goods. For these reasons, we welcome the Administration's crack down on the sale of counterfeit goods online and urge a parallel effort to combat the theft and sale of stolen goods."

From the letter:

"Preserving American brands and protecting our customers are of paramount importance to the entire retail industry, and we wholeheartedly support your directive to coordinate the efforts of the federal government to crack down on the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods."

"Retailers collectively invest billions each year in preventative security measures, but the vacuum of law enforcement and relative ease of selling stolen goods online has led to increasingly brazen and organized attempts to steal, tragically putting some retail employees in danger when confronted thieves turn violent.

"We ask that any strategic effort to hold online sellers accountable for the sale of counterfeit goods also include a crackdown on criminal networks using online marketplaces to sell stolen property. Both are a threat to the retail community and the future growth of the economy."

The full letter can be read here.

RILA is the US trade association for leading retailers. We convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry, and promote operational excellence and innovation. Our aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate.

RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.

Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA)

Washington, D.C. - August 30, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- A year after the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) became law, companies are availing themselves of the ability to protect their formulas, processes and other trade secrets in the federal courts. Introduced in the House by Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the DTSA guards the trade secrets of U.S. companies—valued at roughly $5 trillion—which are often the target of economic espionage at the hands of foreign interests, including China.

According to the National Law Review and other publications, companies are turning to the DTSA for redress when competing firms or foreign governments steal their intellectual property.

“Last year, Republicans were able to produce the 114th Congress’ most significant piece of legislation protecting intellectual property rights, the Defend Trade Secrets Act. Innovation fuels our economy, and we can’t allow bad actors at home or abroad to appropriate the trade secrets of hardworking Americans.

“The Defend Trade Secrets Act is already protecting intellectual property rights against those who would undermine our economy, and I know that conservatives will continue to lead in this policy space,” said Collins.

The law created a uniform standard for the misappropriation of trade secrets and provides plaintiffs with a way to work across state and national boundaries through civil federal courts. The first verdict in a DTSA case, Dalmatia Import Group, Inc. v. FoodMatch, Inc. et al., awarded $500,000 in damages based on stolen trade secrets, and the number of DTSA cases is growing.