Six Indian markets listed by US in the Notorious Markets List

America has included 6 Indian markets in the list of ‘Notorious’ Markets in the world. Three offline (physical) and three online (virtual) markets of India have been included in this list.

• Released on January 30, 2024, the US Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual infamous market list.

6 Indian markets in the list of ‘Notorious’ Markets:

• Three physical markets have been mentioned in India, which are as follows:
  • Heera Panna, in Mumbai
  • Tank Road, Karol Bagh, in New Delhi
  • Sadar Patrappa Road Market in Bengaluru
• While there are three online marketplaces listed:
  • India Mart
  • Vegamovies
  • WHMCS Smarters

Identified 39 online and 33 physical markets:

• The list of ‘Notorious’ marketplaces has identified 39 online and 33 physical marketplaces engaged in trademark counterfeiting or copyright theft.
• These cities have been reported to engage in or promote large-scale trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.

China, top source of counterfeit products globally:

• According to this list, China remains the top source of counterfeit products globally. 60% of the seized goods come from there. China remains in first place on this list.
• It houses Chinese e-commerce and social commerce marketplaces Taobao, WeChat, DHGate and Pinduoduo, as well as cloud storage service Baidu Wangpan.

Seven markets of China were included in the list:

• There are seven markets in China that are notorious for manufacturing, distributing and selling counterfeit goods.
• After COVID-19, the movement of people in physical markets has increased, due to which the sale of counterfeit goods has increased again.
• US Trade Representative Katherine Tai emphasises the economic harm caused by the trade in counterfeit and pirated goods.
• The USTR urged China to increase enforcement action against counterfeit sales in physical markets.
• The trade in counterfeit goods harms workers, consumers and small businesses. Ultimately, the American economy suffers losses.

About the list of America's ‘Notorious’ Markets:

• USTR first identified ‘Notorious’ Markets in 2006 in its Special 301 Report.
• Beginning in February 2011, the USTR began publishing a Discredited Markets List, separate from the Special 301 Report, to increase public awareness.
• Its purpose is to help market operators and governments prioritise intellectual property enforcement efforts that protect America's workers and businesses.