A review of European data privacy regulations is being requested by eBay to help fight against the sale of counterfeit products over the internet, just as the European Union is launching its new European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy.
In presenting its recommendations to the European Commission, the world’s largest online auctioneer said the current regulations hinder its ability to track down and sue counterfeiters. Ebay also demanded a review of policies whereby brand owners are asked to pay costs related to the destruction of fake products.
While pointing out that less than 0.7 percent of the 2.7 billion listings on eBay’s website were identified as “potentially counterfeit” last year, the American company said it suspended 30,000 sellers and referred 505 cases to policy authorities for investigation.
French authorities and interest groups have been particularly vocal about the need for stronger intellectual property protection. Fifas, the French sporting goods industry association, is running an information campaign about the subject on its website. Indicating that sports brands represent about three-fifths of the counterfeit brands, it warns that more than 1,000 websites are currently offering counterfeit products on the internet. Out of those, 120 are very active and more than 40 use links that are sponsored by Google.
