Alibaba launches new anti-counterfeit platform

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has announced that it is to launch a new online platform designed for intellectual property related communications between brands and itself, in a new drive to display its determination to stamp out fake goods.

Alibaba is urging brands to help its anti-piracy campaign, IP Joint-Force System, rather than trade rebukes on the issue, as it looks to build greater and more collaborative working relationships with brands, following accusations that its sites are being flooded with copy-cat products.

The new system was announced at Alibaba’s inaugural summit for international IP rights holders, which was attended by more than 100 domestic Chinese and international brands and trade associations, including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and the Chinese British Business Council.

Alibaba Group chief platform governance officer, Jessie Zheng, said: “As the internet sector continues to evolve, brands and online marketplaces alike face new IP enforcement challenges.

“As the leading online marketplace, we have a responsibility to all of our constituents to govern our platform and find innovative solutions.”

The IP Joint-Force System will be eligible for all the current participating brands of the existing “Good Faith Takedown” programme, which was launched in 2015 to expedite the notice-takedown process for brands that submit valid counterfeit complaints. Currently more than 700 brands participate in the “Good Faith Takedown” programme, many of which will participate in the first phase of the IP Joint-Force System, including Adidas, Apple, Procter and Gamble, Mars and Philips.

Under the new IP Joint-Force System, each participating brand will be assigned a dedicated online portal and Alibaba account manager to enhance collaboration, heighten transparency around IP enforcement efforts, and reinforce mutual understanding and trust. The system will enable Alibaba to directly seek information from rights holders regarding suspected counterfeit product listings, which Alibaba, as a third-party marketplace, is unable to authenticate on its own with full certainty.

The system allows brands to identify the authenticity of a product and easily notify Alibaba of the infringing listing. Alibaba will then initiate the Good Faith Takedown process and immediately remove the listing without required subsequent correspondence with the brand.

“The IP Joint-Force System is a revolutionary industry solution that will redefine how IP enforcement is conducted in the digital age – where brands and e-commerce marketplaces must work collectively and strategically to combat counterfeiters,” said Matthew Bassiur, head of global IP enforcement, Alibaba Group. “This is one of several game-changing approaches that Alibaba will be advancing to both simplify and greatly enhance our overall enforcement process.”

Image: courtesy of Alibaba