Piracy in focus

Shopee targeted in court on charges of selling pirated and consumer-damaging products

 

Shopee has become the target of a public civil action filed by three entities that accuse the company of selling counterfeit products and ask that the platform be forced to adapt its activities to Brazilian legislation. The initiative came from the Association for Sports Industry and Commerce (Ápice), the Brand Protection Group (BPG) and the National Forum Against Piracy (FNCP) at the end of April.

 

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the online sales site makes available products of illegal origin, such as trainers, glasses, bags, watches, cosmetics, electrical cables, car and motorbike accessories, and even medicines for human and veterinary use, counterfeit or otherwise harmful to the consumer.

 

The initial petition, dated 28 April, says that Shopee distances itself from competitors operating in Brazil with regard to the permissibility for the commercialisation of products of illicit origin. The lawsuit asks the court to adopt measures to make the platform compatible with Brazilian law, respecting the basic rights of consumers

 

The requests include the implementation of registration and user profile control, requirement to issue invoices, exclusion of offers and sellers of counterfeit or otherwise illicit products, complaint channels and product returns, among others.

 

Edson Vismona, president of the National Forum Against Piracy, says that Shopee has adhered to the Guide to Good Practices and Guidelines for Electronic Commerce Platforms, prepared by the National Council for Combating Piracy. However, the view of the entities that move the action is that there has been no change in posture.

 

“We are identifying that there is no compliance with the positions described in the guide. We want the company to make commitments and take practical and proactive measures, “he told Estadão/Broadcast.

 

For him, the search mechanisms and automatic banning of problematic ads have to be improved by the platform.

 

The action also narrates that the sellers indicated by Shopee are those who sell the most and end up gaining benefits for it. “By the dynamics of the platform, the more counterfeit products sold, the better the seller’s reputation on the platform, which becomes a ‘referred seller’. The positioning of your products is better, among other benefits “, says the text.

 

Sought, Shopee did not manifest itself until the publication of this text. According to public data, the company has more than 2 million Brazilian sellers and more than 85% of its sales here in the country are from local sellers. Behind the scenes, the company claims to have policies to combat the commercialisation of counterfeit products, both in response to brand complaints and proactively.

Source: https://www.estadao.com.br/economia/shopee-vira-alvo-na-justica-produtos-falsificados/

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