The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has welcomed the introduction of the ‘Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act’. The bill aims to increase transparency and accountability in online marketplaces to combat the counterfeiting and stealing of goods sold through these channels. Introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) — cosponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) — the INFORM Consumers Act urges online marketplaces to collect and verify basic business information from sellers before those entities can sell online.

In addition, the legislation also urges high-volume sellers to provide contact information to consumers. Removing seller anonymity on these platforms will create basic accountability measures that will help protect consumers from counterfeit goods and make it harder for criminals to profit from selling stolen or counterfeit merchandise.

AAFA is also a member of the Buy Safe America Coalition which represents a diverse group of responsible retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials who support efforts at all levels of government to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.