China has been serious about protecting the rights of their online consumers by launching a new law that aims to prioritize their welfare through product quality assurance and legitimacy of an establishment.

Under the law, a consumer has the right to return a defective item within 7 days of purchase, provided, they are not altered. On the other hand, online stores should register their name and address, including other important information to make sure they are legitimate and can be reached in case of legal concerns. According to IBTimes, China's e-commerce industry has swelled from a meager $3 billion industry in 2009 to a $64billion empire by the 2012.

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The vast need to protect its online consumer has been so overwhelming that the authorities are planning on getting everyone involved in their consumer protection programs. In a statement made by Claudio de Bedin on SCMP, he said, "I think the law is extremely important because it affects things at a time when e-commerce is taking off in China." The quest to eliminate counterfeit products have been a serious target of these laws because of several establishments that have vowed to support such laws, yet their stores are known to sell most of the counterfeited products all over.

The said law, has encouraged several online stores to only accept genuine product to sell on their online stores. They also became more keen on choosing which product to resell online because of the counterfeit issues that may land them on hot water. Alibaba, for example, has been one of the biggest online stores that tasted the wrath of being accused of selling counterfeit products. While they have acknowledged such issues, they were quick to defend the company, issuing statements that indicates their effort to make sure that their registered sellers are legitimate and all items are original. It has not been a successful effort on their part as the trend of selling counterfeit products continued.

As a primary sample to businesses taking steps to eliminate counterfeiters, Jeweller Chow Tai Fook took legal action against Taobao for copying their famous Bao Bao collections.

Tagsonline shopping, online shopping law, tao bao, bao bao, Rights