IACC suspends general membership category

The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) has announced via a statement from the group's board of directors that they are suspending their General Membership Category. This removes members such as Alibaba, The Real Real, and Wish.com

"This will not affect our existing relationship or joint initiatives with them. We continue to stand by our inclusive approach to working with intermediaries," the letter states.

Last week, IACC announced their their partnership with Alibaba on a MarketSafe expansion program, which is an extension of their 2013 program that helps Alibaba remove and close down listings and retail companies offering counterfeit goods on its online shopping platform, Taobao Marketplace. Alibaba founder Jack Ma is slated to speak at IACC's spring 2016 in Orlando, Florida this weekend.

IACC has had to defends its decision to create a General Membership Category before, but now brands like Gucci, Michael Kors, and Tiffany & Co. have removed themselves from the group in protest of Alibaba's entry as a member, causing the board of directors to take action addressing these concerns. A disclosed conflict of interest from IACC president Robert Barchiesi also affected the group's decision, as Barchiesi took stock in Alibaba. The letter did reaffirm IACC's respect for Barchiesi as their president, all things considered.

In addition to suspending their General Membership category, IACC has hired an independent firm to review the organizations policies and procedures.