Alibaba expands anti-counterfeit program with IAAC

Alibaba and International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) said the IACC MarketSafe Program, an initiative started in 2013, is being opened up so that more brands and companies can participate. The MarketSafe program provides companies with an expedited process for working with Alibaba to target and take down online listings for counterfeit goods.

The expanded MarketSafe program will be free of charge to IACC members and non-members. In addition, brands will no longer be required to provide evidence to support intellectual-property infringement complaints.

According to Alibaba, since the MarketSafe program’s launch, nearly 5,000 sellers’ storefronts have been closed and banned from Alibaba’s marketplaces, and more than 180,000 infringing product listings have been removed, even though a ‘limited number’ of brands have been participating.

Alibaba has for several years been working with the IACC, which has members from a wide range of industries and includes companies such as Burberry, 21st Century Fox and Apple. In April, Alibaba became the first e-commerce company to join the IACC as an official member.