The Toy Association Praises Inclusion of Consumer & IP Safety Provisions in America COMPETES Act

January 31, 2022 | The Toy Association supports the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent inclusion of the SHOP SAFE Act and the INFORM Consumers Act in the America Creating Opportunities in Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act (America COMPETES Act). The two bills incorporate recommendations from The Toy Association’s 2020 IP White Paper, which highlights the importance of increased seller vetting and consumer transparency for third-party marketplaces to protect families from potentially dangerous counterfeits sold online.

"The Toy Association has spent years lobbying state and federal leaders to take more aggressive regulatory and legislative actions to combat the online sale of illicit counterfeit toys and other children’s products that endanger the safety of American families and threaten the viability of small manufacturers,” said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association.

“Ninety five percent of toy companies are small businesses and in a company with only a handful of employees, diverting resources from key business functions to continually fight illegal products may simply not be an option. The inclusion of these bills in the America Competes Act is a welcome step toward tackling this critical issue, holding online marketplaces more accountable for the sale of counterfeit products on their sites, and exposing the identities of high-volume third-party sellers.”

The Toy Association also expresses its thanks to Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), 'Hank' Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) for their vital support on the issue.

Advocating against counterfeit toys remains a top priority and year-round effort of The Toy Association. In addition to working with federal officials to drive support of IP protection bills like the SHOP SAFE Act and INFORM Consumers Act, the Association continues to educate consumers through ongoing media appearances and collaborate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies on anti-counterfeiting measures to reduce the number of fake toys entering the country. The Association even joined the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) annual press conference last fall to highlight the dangers of counterfeits.

The Toy Association also serves as a member of the Buy Safe America Coalition, which represents a diverse group of responsible retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates, and law enforcement officials who support efforts at all levels of government to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.

“Whether shopping online or in store, consumers should be able to feel confident that the toys they purchase adhere to the highest U.S. safety standards and regulations and are safe for play,” added Pasierb.