DPE Commends the Release of USTR’s 2024 Notorious Markets List

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2025 - The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its 2024 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy report (the “Notorious Markets List”), which calls attention to online and physical markets where substantial piracy or counterfeiting occurs. The Notorious Markets List is intended to help private sector organizations and governments prioritize enforcement efforts to reduce content theft. Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning released the following statement on the report:

“I applaud Ambassador Tai, USTR staff, and interagency partners for continuing to bring attention to the harm of content theft through the annual Notorious Markets List. The 2024 report again shows how everyday union creative professionals lose out when content theft proliferates online. Members of DPE affiliated unions in the arts, entertainment, and media industries depend on legitimate sales and licensing of the films, TV shows, music, and other works they help create for their collectively bargained pay and contributions to their health insurance and pension plans. Union creative professionals also rely on the lawful sales and streaming of entertainment content for future job opportunities. 

DPE remains committed to fighting for strong copyright protections and appropriate enforcement to ensure creative professionals can earn a fair return on their work, particularly in the era of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Absent safeguards and appropriate transparency, generative AI will be used as a sophisticated, deceptive tool for content theft and the unauthorized digital replication of individuals’ voices and likenesses. DPE believes that monitoring the misuse of AI for these illicit purposes in future Notorious Markets Lists is critical.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.