By Helen Reid
LONDON (Reuters) – Chinese language on-line retailer Temu is contemplating becoming a member of a bunch of ecommerce platforms and types that collaborate to stop the sale of pretend merchandise on-line in Europe, in response to a gathering agenda seen by Reuters.
The “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sale of counterfeit items on the web” is a voluntary settlement facilitated by the European Fee, and signatories embrace on-line retailers Amazon (NASDAQ:), Alibaba (NYSE:), and eBay (NASDAQ:), and types like Adidas (OTC:), Nike (NYSE:), Hermes and Moncler.
Temu is about to make a presentation at a Nov. 11 assembly of the MoU members as a “potential new signatory”, the agenda be aware confirmed.
Temu didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the doc. A European Fee spokesperson didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Temu’s engagement with the anti-counterfeits community comes as European Union authorities ramp up stress on Temu to enhance its controls on merchandise bought to European buyers on its market and guarantee unlawful or unsafe objects don’t enter the bloc.
Temu, a subsidiary of Chinese language ecommerce big PDD Holdings, has grown quickly in Europe and america by means of aggressive advertising, drawing hundreds of thousands of customers to its web site and app with the slogan “store like a billionaire”, providing rock-bottom costs on every little thing from kitchen home equipment and electronics to clothes and accessories.
Lots of the garments, footwear, and purses bought on the location are designed to look just like well-liked branded merchandise, at a fraction of the worth.
An trade supply, who requested to not be named, mentioned they have been involved that accepting Temu’s signature to the MoU would have an effect on the credibility of the community.
After its common month-to-month customers within the EU hit 75 million earlier this 12 months, the European Fee designated Temu a “very massive on-line platform”, which means it should do extra to combat unlawful and dangerous content material in addition to counterfeit merchandise on its platform underneath the EU’s Digital Providers Act (DSA).
Bloomberg Information reported on Wednesday that the Fee was set to launch an investigation into Temu over whether or not it’s in breach of the DSA.
The report got here after the Fee earlier this month requested data from Temu on the steps it’s taking to stop unlawful merchandise being bought on its platform.
Temu had to offer the knowledge by Oct. 21 and the Fee on the time mentioned it might “decide the following steps” after assessing Temu’s responses.