Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s (阿里巴巴) Taobao (淘寶) shopping Web site should be put back on the US government’s “Notorious Markets” list for failing to stop the sales of fakes, according to a group representing US clothing makers.
Taobao is synonymous with counterfeits and has been unwilling to make serious reform since it was removed from the list in 2012, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) said in a statement.
Alibaba is willing to discuss the issue with the trade group, the e-commerce firm said in an e-mail.
China’s biggest e-commerce operator has battled allegations for years that it facilitates counterfeiting, a key concern of investors worried that the proliferation of fake goods will drive buyers to competitors.
The AAFA, which counts Levi Strauss & Co and Under Armour Inc as members, said Alibaba has done little to stop the problem.
“Our members face enormous difficulty working with Taobao in solving the problem of counterfeits, meanwhile illegal merchandise continues to proliferate,” AAFA president and chief executive officer Juanita Duggan said in the statement. “These problems persist despite our repeated efforts to work with them.”
The office of the US Trade Representative compiles the annual name-and-shame list of “Notorious Markets” designed to identify listings of counterfeit goods from jeans to car parts.
The association objected to the government’s decision to remove the company from the list before its initial public offering (IPO).
Alibaba said AAFA has refused to meet with the company for months and reiterated it is committed to fighting fakes.
“We remain ready to engage the AAFA at their earliest convenience,” Robert Christie, an Alibaba spokesman, said by e-mail. “We work with many AAFA clients daily and they fully know that we are committed to the protection of intellectual property rights and the long-running battle to eradicate counterfeit merchandise that may appear on our marketplaces.”
While accusations about fakes did little to damp enthusiasm for Alibaba’s record-breaking IPO last year, criticism from the Chinese government this year has contributed to a 38 percent plummet in its share price, while Kering SA is suing Alibaba for profiting from the sale of goods that infringe on its brands.
Alibaba is keen to spruce up its image in the US. It has beefed up its legal team in Washington and hired executives with political contacts, partly to deal with privacy issues.
BYPASSING CHINA TARIFFS: In the first five months of this year, Foxconn sent US$4.4bn of iPhones to the US from India, compared with US$3.7bn in the whole of last year Nearly all the iPhones exported by Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) from India went to the US between March and last month, customs data showed, far above last year’s average of 50 percent and a clear sign of Apple Inc’s efforts to bypass high US tariffs imposed on China. The numbers, being reported by Reuters for the first time, show that Apple has realigned its India exports to almost exclusively serve the US market, when previously the devices were more widely distributed to nations including the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. During March to last month, Foxconn, known as Hon Hai Precision Industry
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) yesterday announced the launch of the TSMC-UTokyo Lab to promote advanced semiconductor research, education and talent development. The lab is TSMC’s first laboratory collaboration with a university outside Taiwan, the company said in a statement. The lab would leverage “the extensive knowledge, experience, and creativity” of both institutions, the company said. It is located in the Asano Section of UTokyo’s Hongo, Tokyo, campus and would be managed by UTokyo faculty, guided by directors from UTokyo and TSMC, the company said. TSMC began working with UTokyo in 2019, resulting in 21 research projects,
Ashton Hall’s morning routine involves dunking his head in iced Saratoga Spring Water. For the company that sells the bottled water — Hall’s brand of choice for drinking, brushing his teeth and submerging himself — that is fantastic news. “We’re so thankful to this incredible fitness influencer called Ashton Hall,” Saratoga owner Primo Brands Corp’s CEO Robbert Rietbroek said on an earnings call after Hall’s morning routine video went viral. “He really helped put our brand on the map.” Primo Brands, which was not affiliated with Hall when he made his video, is among the increasing number of companies benefiting from influencer
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) yesterday expressed a downbeat view about the prospects of humanoid robots, given high manufacturing costs and a lack of target customers. Despite rising demand and high expectations for humanoid robots, high research-and-development costs and uncertain profitability remain major concerns, Lam told reporters following the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Taoyuan. “Since it seems a bit unworthy to use such high-cost robots to do household chores, I believe robots designed for specific purposes would be more valuable and present a better business opportunity,” Lam said Instead of investing in humanoid robots, Quanta has opted to invest
RSS