A U.S. lawmaker recently sent a formal letter to the Justice Department, labeling certain Asian e-commerce giants as state-backed retail operations. The accusation? Massive-scale intellectual property violations and counterfeit goods flooding American markets, allegedly crushing local designers and brands. The letter claims these platforms enable systematic knockoff production that undercuts genuine innovators. While the allegations remain unproven in court, the move signals escalating tensions around digital commerce regulation and cross-border trade practices. Whether this leads to enforcement action or just political theater remains to be seen.