WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with several retail CEOs to discuss their Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act, which passed the House as part of the America COMPETES Act and is currently being conferenced with the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). The bipartisan legislation will combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ensuring transparency of high-volume third-party sellers in online retail marketplaces. The Senators were joined by the CEOs of Home Depot, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, CVS, and Kroger.
“Criminal organizations are attempting to trick consumers into buying counterfeit and hazardous products online,” said. Dr. Cassidy. “It was great to discuss our bipartisan solution to increase transparency and help consumers distinguish between genuine retailers and fraudsters with private sector leaders.”
“People deserve to know basic information about those who sell them consumer products online,” said Senator Durbin. “By providing appropriate verification and transparency of high-volume third party sellers, the INFORM Consumers Act will shine a light that will deter online sales of stolen, counterfeit, and unsafe goods and protect consumers. Today’s meeting was productive and I look forward to working with Senator Cassidy and our broad coalition of supporters to get this bill across the finish line.”
A photo of the meeting is available here.
The INFORM Consumers Act would direct online retail marketplaces that include third-party sellers of consumer products to authenticate the identity of “high-volume third-party sellers,” which will help deter the online sale of counterfeit goods by anonymous sellers and prevent organized retail crime rings from stealing items from stores to resell those items in bulk online. The bill will also ensure that purchasers can obtain basic identification and contact information for high-volume third party sellers of consumer products on online marketplaces.
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