IP PROTECTION IN CHINA ’ S E-COMMERCE INDUSTRY
national and industry bodies ; holds meetings and training sessions with rights holders and associations ; and partnered with the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition ( IACC ) on the MarketSafe Program that uses an expedited procedure to take down infringing listings . 39
On the law enforcement side , Alibaba has signed an agreement with government authorities , and published a guide for overseas law enforcement agencies looking to take action in China . 40
JD . com also uses a range of online and offline measures to track and assess violators of IP rights , and will pass that information to the rights holder . Should the IP owner wish to pursue the matter , JD . com will work with them ; if not , it will close the offending store . 41 The firm also works with rights holders to educate its quality assurance and sales staff about spotting counterfeits . 42
While technical screenings are vital to find counterfeits , e-commerce companies in China also collaborate with consumers who flag counterfeits and substandard products . This helps platforms take immediate action , and resolve issues and concerns to ensure customer satisfaction .
During the coronavirus pandemic , for example , platforms were able to use technology and consumer feedback to identify merchants selling poor-quality face masks . Pinduoduo removed over 500,000 items and closed more than 40 stores within weeks of the health crisis , freezing the cash accounts of vendors selling fake products and reporting them to the police . 43 JD . com closed seven stores , while Alibaba removed 570,000 questionable mask listings and referred five banned stores to the authorities . 44 39
For more , see : https :// www . iacc . org / online-initiatives / marketsafe 40 See : https :// alibabagroup . com / cn / contact / contacts # slide _ law 41
China e-Commerce Intellectual Property Development Research Report ( 2019 ), Intellectual Property Development Research Center , China National Intellectual Property Administration . 42
See : https :// ipkey . eu / sites / default / files / legacy-ipkey-docs / ellen-lin---ip-protection---jd . pdf 43
E-commerce firms cracking down on sellers of fake protective masks , technode ( February 6 , 2020 ). See : https :// technode . com / 2020 / 02 / 06 / e-commerce-firms-cracking-down-on-sellers-of-fake-protective-masks / 44
Ibid .
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