--- title: 'How to remove counterfeit products from Alibaba' url: 'https://argobs.com/en/come-eliminare-i-prodotti-contraffatti-da-alibabaa' markdown: 'https://argobs.com/en/come-eliminare-i-prodotti-contraffatti-da-alibabaa.md' lang: en date: '2021-05-05' description: 'The Alibaba Group is one of the greatest success stories of contemporary China. The conglomerate now comprises more than thirty entities[1] operating in a variety of sectors, offering services related to e-commerce, cloud computing and electronic payment systems. For 2020, the group boasted a gross…' taxonomy: category: - contraffazione - proprieta-intellettuale --- # How to remove counterfeit products from Alibaba 5 May 2021 | Counterfeiting, Intellectual property The **Alibaba Group** is one of the greatest success stories of **contemporary China**. The conglomerate now comprises more than thirty entities[\[1\]](#_ftn1) operating in a variety of sectors, offering services related to e-commerce, *cloud computing* and electronic payment systems. For 2020, the group **boasted a gross merchandise value of 7.3 trillion yuan (over USD 1.1 trillion) and more than one billion active users worldwide**[\[2\]](#_ftn2). The origin of this complex architecture is the marketplace from which the entire group takes its name: Alibaba.com still serves the same purpose it was given at its **founding in 1999**, namely that of a **B2B platform** for transactions between China and the rest of the world and those carried out entirely outside China[\[3\]](#_ftn3). !\[\]() Figure 1 – Structure of the Alibaba Group – from the 2021 Company Overview Given the global scale of its success, it is understandable that the group's platforms are a **prime target for counterfeiters**, determined to capitalize on the popularity of the best-known brands in order to make illicit profits. Just as understandably, Alibaba is aware of the risks posed by these actors: over the years, it has taken part in or promoted numerous **anti-counterfeiting** projects, cooperating with institutions, brand owners and IP providers. For example, the group is a signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding promoted by the European Commission[\[4\]](#_ftn4) which we mentioned in our article on Amazon. The company's most significant initiative is the Alibaba Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance (ACAA)[\[5\]](#_ftn5), a partnership program with brand owners aimed at cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and practices for monitoring and protecting intellectual property. In addition, similarly to what we saw with Amazon, the group relies on *machine learning* technologies for proactive monitoring and enforcement. **IPPP ACCREDITATION AND REPORTS** But what should you do when you yourself find an offer of fakes of your products on one of the group's platforms? The solution exists, and it is very effective. As far as reactive enforcement is concerned, Alibaba provides the **Intellectual Property Protection Platform**[\[6\]](#_ftn6); the IPPP is perhaps the most comprehensive and sophisticated online IP protection infrastructure currently available, and allows users to report infringing listings on the group's various marketplaces. To use the service, it is necessary to accredit the individual or entity appointed to file reports and, subsequently, the certificates on which the reports are to be based: the procedure we are about to describe is valid for all platforms (e.g. **Alibaba, AliExpress and Lazada**); however, we will soon publish an in-depth article on enforcement on **Taobao** and **TMall**, the well-known B2C platforms dedicated to the Chinese market, as the platform provides some important additional protections in favor of the brand owner, including the important ***Good-faith Takedown Mechanism***. The procedure to follow can be summarized as follows: - **Creating an account on the IPPP**: registration of the brand owner is not required; where an IP provider is involved, it can operate through its own account, in the name and on behalf of the client (upon issuance of a duly signed power of attorney/POA); - **Accreditation of the intellectual property titles** on which you intend to base your reports/complaints: this is a very important step, as it affects not only the platforms on which you will be able to operate (for example, on Alibaba you can rely on IP rights registered in virtually all national/regional offices in the world, whereas on the Lazada group's sites a certificate from one of the APAC countries in which the platform operates is required), but also the types of report you will be able to file; the system in fact processes not only counterfeiting complaints, but also complaints for other infringements, such as the unlawful use of registered trademarks and/or logos for *traffic diversion*, the unauthorized use of copyrighted audio/video material, the copying of registered designs, and many others; - **Submitting reports**: the reporting phase is moderately more complex than in many other marketplace IPR protection systems; when filling in the complaint you must indicate the link to the listing, the type of infringement found, a brief description of it and, in particular, a short report containing visual evidence (for example, a comparison report between the disputed product and the corresponding original, highlighting salient differences and/or manufacturing defects). The platform is generally very quick in processing complaints (and in any removal of infringing listings), which are usually processed within 24 hours of submission. A system of escalating penalties[\[7\]](#_ftn7) is also provided, which hits the accounts responsible with restrictions ranging from short temporary suspensions to permanent bans. The extent of the penalties varies depending on the seriousness of the infringement committed and any repeat infringements (*repeat infringement acts*). **ASK ARGO FOR A FREE INVESTIGATION** The wide range of complaint types available through the IPPP lays the foundation for fast and effective enforcement, capable of identifying and removing counterfeit listings before they achieve significant sales volumes; however, the rigor of the procedures to be followed, combined with the complexity of many infringement situations, means that these tools can be used to their full effectiveness only with the help of an experienced IP team. Do you want to know whether your company is exposed to online threats? You can request a free investigation by filling in the [following form](https://www.argobs.com/contattaci/) or by writing to . [\[1\]](#_ftnref1) “Alibaba Group at a Glance”, Alibaba Group, [https://docs.alibabagroup.com/assets2/pdf/Alibaba\_Group\_Corporate\_Overview\_20210223\_Eng.pdf](https://docs.alibabagroup.com/assets2/pdf/Alibaba_Group_Corporate_Overview_20210223_Eng.pdf), 02/2021, last accessed 23/04/2021 [\[2\]](#_ftnref2) Ibidem [\[3\]](#_ftnref3) As for sales originating and concluded entirely within Chinese territory, the reference site is 1688.com. [\[4\]](#_ftnref4) Industry-led initiative to fight counterfeiting gets new boost”, European Commission, [https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/industry-led-initiative-fight-counterfeiting-gets-new-boost\_en](https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/industry-led-initiative-fight-counterfeiting-gets-new-boost_en), 01/03/2019, last accessed 23/04/2021 [\[5\]](#_ftnref5) “Partnerships for creating a counterfeit-free society”, [https://aaca.alibabagroup.heymeo.net/membership\_commitments](https://aaca.alibabagroup.heymeo.net/membership_commitments), last accessed 23/04/2021 [\[6\]](#_ftnref6)“IP Protection Platform”, , last accessed 23/04/2021 [\[7\]](#_ftnref7) “Enforcement Actions for Intellectual Property Rights Infringements Claims on Alibaba.com”, , last accessed 23/04/2021 --- ## Navigation - Parent: [News](https://argobs.com/en/news.md) - Previous: [Notorious Markets List: brand protection as seen from the USA](https://argobs.com/en/notorious-market-list.md) - Next: [The external data processor: GDPR guidance](https://argobs.com/en/il-responsabile-esterno-del-trattamento-le-indicazioni-del-gdpr.md)