The United States added VK and Avito to the list of distributors of counterfeit and pirated products

According to the American department, since 2022, Avito and VK, as well as the online libraries of literature and scientific articles Sci-Hub and Libget, the torrent tracker Rutracker and the file-sharing service Rapidgator refuse to remove pirated content and products falsified at the request of copyright. headlines.

Listing does not necessarily impose restrictions; The USTR review is more of a reputation tool.

The Office of the US Trade Representative noted that counterfeit products are actively advertised on Avito and there are almost no restrictions on sellers and repeat offenders, and the classification itself is reluctant to contact copyright holders. author. “Several copyright holders reported difficulties removing ads because the site requires detailed information about infringement, even in cases where the ads indicated that they were copies,” the report states.

An Avito representative told Kommersant that the platform’s policy prohibits the sale of products that violate copyright and that the site “has an established process for working with any copyright holder, regardless of the country of origin.” The company emphasized that blocking is done after confirmation of violations by the copyright holder and that blocked ads cannot appear on the site again.

VK, according to the USTR, distributes pirated copies of movies, television series and music, and the platform’s response to demands to remove such content has been “inconsistent.” “The site as a whole expresses less willingness to cooperate with the industry,” states the report, which also notes VK’s lack of sanctions for repeat offenses. A representative for the social network declined to comment.

In addition, the list also included some Moscow markets, in particular “Gorbushkin Dvor” and “Sadovod”. According to the United States Trade Representative, counterfeit electronic products, appliances, clothing, cosmetics and perfumes are openly sold on these commercial platforms, advertised by the sellers themselves on social networks.