US trade officials have named and shamed Chinese search engine Baidu and e-commerce giant Taobao as "notorious markets" for counterfeit and pirated goods.

The decision may add to calls for legislation giving US courts new authority to block foreign websites that sell pirated goods from operating in the US.

The Chinese IT pair is among more than 30 Internet and physical markets around the world listed Monday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in an annual review. Ten of the blacklisted markets are from China.
"Piracy and counterfeiting undermine the innovation and creativity that is vital to our global competitiveness," USTR Ron Kirk said in a press release Monday.

"The review … highlights an opportunity to work together with our trading partners to curb illicit trade and expand legitimate commerce in creative and innovative industries," Kirk said.

Baidu and Taobao acknowledged the listing but refused to provide further comment Tuesday.

The US Chamber of Commerce advised Congress to pass legislation allowing US courts to block foreign websites that sell pirated or counterfeit goods from operating in the US, according to Reuters.

The Chinese government pledged in January to strengthen efforts to protect online intellectual property rights by promoting the establishment of industry associations and by requiring operating websites to acquire licenses, People's Daily reported.

Some consumers, both domestic and foreign, have argued that the demand for pirated and counterfeit goods remains high due to cheap costs and widespread availability, but experts have rejected this argument as not warranting IPR infringements.

Ren Hucheng, a Beijing-based lawyer specializing in IPR, told the Global Times that leading companies such as Baidu and Taobao should be role models