Feds List Worst Markets for Content Theft

21 Dec, 2011 By: Chris Tribbey

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The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, has published its list of the worst marketplaces when it comes to products that infringe on intellectual property rights.

The list covers websites and physical markets, with many located in China and Eastern Europe.

On the Web side, the USTR listed several that deal in linking to illegal movies, TV shows and music, including China-based Sogou, Gougou and Taobao. ThePirateBay, IsoHunt and Btjunkie made the list for BitTorrent linking, while Megaupload and Putlocker made the list for uploading content directly.

Some of the worst physical markets include Bahia Market in Guayaquil, Ecuador; China Small Commodities Market in Yiwu, China; Ciudad del Este in Paraguay; Harco Glodok in Jakarta, Indonesia; La Salada in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lo Wu Commercial Center in Shenzhen, China; Nehru Place in New Delhi, India; Petrivka Market in Kyiv, Ukraine; numerous Red Zones in Thailand and the Silk Market in Beijing.

“The notorious overseas markets highlighted in today’s report are a direct threat to the millions of hard-working Americans and the tens of thousands of businesses that rely on it for their livelihoods,” said Michael O’Leary, senior EVP for global policy and external affairs with the Motion Picture Association of America. “The MPAA commends and greatly appreciates the USTR’s recognition of the damage inflicted by these foreign criminal websites and other illicit marketplaces on U.S. global competitiveness, and we applaud the USTR’s work to protect American jobs.”

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