Brazil: Issued interim ruling in National Consumer Secretariat investigation into illegal commerce of unregistered devices on e-commerce platform Mercado Livre

On 14 December 2024, the National Secretariat for Consumer Protection (Senacon) ordered Mercado Livre to remove advertisements for mobile phones that lack approval from the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and do not include a valid invoice. The order, following a complaint from the Brazilian Electrical and Electronic Industry Association (Abinee), requires Amazon to identify and remove adverts within 48 hours for sellers registered solely with CPF who cannot demonstrate invoice issuance. Amazon must also restrict sales to sellers able to provide valid invoices and ensure compliance with Anatel’s approval requirements by displaying approval codes in advertisements. Senacon noted further irregularities, including the absence of technical assistance during the warranty period, foreign language manuals that failed to provide clear information, and non-compliant chargers that breached safety standards. Mercado Livre has 15 days to submit a compliance report, or it may face fines and administrative proceedings.