Trump Memo Calls for More Fines for Imported Counterfeits Trafficked Through E-Commerce Platforms
New legislation and bigger fines are among measures mentioned in an Oct. 13 presidential memorandum aimed at stopping imports of counterfeit goods through e-commerce platforms. CBP should seize counterfeit goods imported into the U.S. and impose the “maximum fines and civil penalties permitted by law on any e-commerce platform that directs, assists with, or is in any way concerned in the importation into the United States of counterfeit goods,” President Donald Trump said in the memo.
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Trump also called for the pursuit of “legislation that would clarify and strengthen the executive branch’s authority and increase its resources to deter and address counterfeit trafficking on e-commerce platforms,” it said. The Department of Homeland Security and the Attorney General are directed to “develop a legislative proposal to promote the policy objectives of this memorandum” within 120 days. A DHS official recently said an announcement would be coming related to a report from earlier this year that examined possible ways to stop imports of counterfeit goods (see 2001240043).