Alibaba’s IPR Protection Program: The Gold Standard Within The Ecommerce Industry
Counterfeiting and intellectual property (IP) theft cost U.S. businesses up to $600 billion annually, according to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property. As a global ecommerce platform, protecting IP is a top priority for Alibaba. Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group, gave a keynote speech at last month’s annual International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) conference, where he discussed Alibaba’s three-pronged approach to protecting IP.
As a result of Alibaba’s proactive approach to preventing IP theft, IACC President Bob Barchiese lauded its efforts, “Alibaba has so substantially enhanced their IPR protection program to the point that we and many of the stakeholders are comfortable in referring to the intellectual property rights (IPR) protection program as the gold standard within the ecommerce industry.”
Three principles define Alibaba’s anti-counterfeiting strategy:
- Being responsive and proactive
- Partnering with brands
- Collaborating with all stakeholders, including government regulators and law enforcement
Evans assured the audience that Alibaba remains committed to continuously adapting its approach and working closely with brand partners and other stakeholders, including government agencies, law enforcement, and trade associations, to protect IPR. Last year, Alibaba processed 98% of IPR infringement takedown requests within 24 hours.
“We are dealing with a much more complex environment. The challenges to IP protection have only gotten more difficult. However, protecting IP is our number one priority.”
– Michael Evans, President, Alibaba Group
Today, counterfeits and IP theft continue to rise across the world. Further, sellers face a rapidly changing and increasingly complex regulatory and geopolitical environment that complicates enforcement efforts. This landscape leads to a broader and more complicated set of challenges that requires more robust IP protection capabilities. Alibaba is committed to continuously adapting its approach and working closely with brand partners and other stakeholders, including government agencies, law enforcement, and trade associations, to protect IPR.
Learn more about Alibaba’s IPR protection program.
