Responding to the allegations made by the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) and the France-based association for the promotion of intellectual property rights Union des Fabricants (Unifab), on Bangladesh over exporting counterfeit apparel products, the Commerce Ministry of Bangladesh in its detailed report submitted recently to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which has recently started Special 301 Review on intellectual property protection and enforcement against counterfeit and illicit goods, has maintained the allegations were not substantiated by facts, rather many of the accusations were made on the basis of hearsay and with certain ulterior motives.
Media reports maintained this while adding Bangladesh Government, in its response further added AAFA’s claim that counterfeit production was growing in Bangladesh did not appear to be supported by any specific evidence even as the allegation made by one member of the AAFA is not corroborated by facts.
It may be mentioned here AAFA has recently recommended that Bangladesh be listed on USTR’s Priority Watch List even as it reportedly alleged that it remained impossible to conduct any form of IP enforcement in Bangladesh due to zero established IP policies, with the situation exacerbating due to high levels of corruption.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
