Taobao remains on US market 'blacklist'

Taobao.COM, China's largest online shopping site, remained on the "notorious markets" list released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

The USTR said it had received reports from stakeholders that pirated and counterfeit goods are still widely available on Taobao, the third-most visited website in China - after baidu.com and qq.com - and an affiliate of the Alibaba Group.

The USTR noted that Taobao has made "significant efforts" to address pirated and counterfeit goods but "much remains to be done," according to the report released on Tuesday.

Taobao yesterday declined to comment on the report.

Patent owners are asked to show evidence of intellectual property right ownership, and Taobao then removes goods by unlicensed sellers to protect authorized patent owners.

Beijing's Silk Street Market, the China Small Commodities Market in Yiwu and Shenzhen's Lo Wu Commercial Center are also on the list.

The USTR listed a total of 33 markets around the world where pirated or counterfeit goods, including unlicensed digital files, are reportedly available, and the US has urged authorities there to intensify efforts to investigate these and similar markets.

Baidu, China's largest search engine operator, has been removed from the list of "notorious markets." Baidu said in July that it has reached an agreement with three major music labels - Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony Music - to introduce a free music-streaming and download service.

The company will pay copyright owners each time a song is played or downloaded.