Shifting contributory liability to online platforms undermines e-commerce startups – that collapses platform innovation
Engine, 2020 - Engine is a non-profit technology policy, research, and advocacy organization that bridges the gap between policymakers and startups. Comment submitted to US Patent and Trademark Office, “Re: Comments of Engine Advocacy in Response to Secondary Trademark Infringement Liability in the E-Commerce Setting, Docket No. PTO-T-2020-0035,” 12/28,
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The doctrine of contributory liability currently applied by U.S. courts is balanced and largely working well. Many small or early-stage e-commerce companies would not be able to afford the cost and risk of a legal framework that mandates proactive policing and/or holds companies liable for user-generated infringing content they have no knowledge of or direct involvement in. And any changes which shift the fundamental balance in the current law could have outsized and negative impacts on startups. Such changes would reduce the viability of existing and prospective startups—potentially forcing them out of the market—but it would also restrict options for the content creators and small businesses who rely on diverse e-commerce offerings, reduce innovation and competition in the online marketplace, and harm the U.S. economy as a whole.2