On 31 January 2018, the European Commission launched a survey that seeks input from stakeholders to identify online and physical marketplaces outside the EU where counterfeiting, piracy, or other forms of intellectual property abuse are common practice. The results of the stakeholder consultation are to be presented in a future “Counterfeit and Piracy Watch-List” that identifies and describes the most problematic – especially online – marketplaces. The list aims to encourage the operators and owners of such marketplaces as well as the responsible local authorities and governments to take the necessary actions and measures to reduce the possibility of infringing intellectual property rights of goods or services.

The initiative is part of the Commission’s strategy announced in the 2017 Communication “A balanced Intellectual Property enforcement system responding to today’s societal challenges.” Based on stakeholder input, the watch list will also help to raise the awareness of consumers who might be buying products in those marketplaces. It will also encourage cracking down on intellectual property abuse.

The Commission has requested written contributions from stakeholders in identifying marketplaces that should be included on the 2018 watch list by 31 March 2018. Written comments should be as detailed as possible and include supporting documents. Stakeholders should especially include an assessment of the impact of the marketplace on legitimate trade, any known enforcement activity against the marketplace, and the state of play of any enforcement activity. Replies may be submitted in any of the 24 official EU languages.