Our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, July 17, 2023 will be a discussion of the Digital Services Act, the INFORM Consumers Act and related legislation.

The explosive growth of e-commerce marketplaces and social media platforms as essential channels for advertising and selling goods and services has changed the way consumers shop.  Brick and mortar stores have largely been replaced by e-commerce. This was further exacerbated in recent years from the COVID-19 pandemic that included the shift to online shopping.  The growing popularity of online shopping over the past few years is cited as a key reason for the increase in the sale of counterfeits. Notably, it is more difficult to monitor and enforce intellectual property (IP) rights online compared to traditional brick and mortar markets, and currently the burden to police the online marketplace has fallen solely on the shoulders of rights holders. However, in the last 6 months, several key pieces of legislation have been introduced that aim to hold platforms more responsible for the ‘bad actors’ that sell on their sites and exploit brands and consumers.

All are invited to join us in our discussion during the SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday at Noon in our Westlake Village office. This activity is approved for 1 hour of MCLE credit. If you will be joining us, please RSVP to elisham @socalip.com by 9 am Monday morning.