Hatch, Wyden Announce Hearing on Protecting E-commerce Consumers from Counterfeit Products

WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced that on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, they will hold a hearing to examine how to better protect American consumers by enforcing intellectual property rights and preventing imports of illegal counterfeits at the border. The hearing, “Protecting E-commerce Consumers from Counterfeits” follows the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report Hatch requested that found that detection and prevention of counterfeit goods pose a significant challenge. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 215.

“With E-commerce playing an ever-increasing role in our lives today, it is essential that we act to confront the growing threats that counterfeit goods sold online pose to consumer health and safety,” Hatch said. “This hearing will allow Finance Committee members to take a deeper dive into the root of the problem and explore possible options to safeguard the health and safety of the millions of Americans who buy things online.”

“Consumers deserve to be confident that the product they think they’re buying online is the same product that shows up on their doorsteps. Americans shouldn’t have to worry about being scammed by knock-off products. I’m looking forward to questioning Customs and Border Protection about the challenges to enforcing intellectual property rights, and how the government can improve its practices,” Wyden said.

The witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing will be:

• Ms. Kimberly Gianopoulos, Director, International Affairs and Trade, United States Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC
• Ms. Brenda B. Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, United States Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC
• Mr. Jim Joholske, Director, Office of Import Surveillance, United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC
• Mr. Terrence R. Brady, President, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., Northbrook, IL

Who: Senate Finance Committee

What: “Protecting E-commerce Consumers from Counterfeits”

Where: 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building; Washington, D.C. 20510

When: Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at 10 a.m.

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