It looks like Alibaba is lining up big guns in its war against counterfeit products. The e-commerce giant has gathered troops to launch a full-fledged assault to make sure that its platform is free of counterfeit goods.
Alibaba is all set to sign Louis Vuitton, Samsung and Mars among other big names to the 'Alibaba Big Data Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance.'
The Alliance already has industry heavyweights like Dulux, LV, Swarovski, Trendy Group, DAZZLE, Shiseido, Bioderma, Amway, Pernod Ricard, Huawei, SUPOR, Joyoung, Sony, Western Digital (Western Digital and SanDisk), Canon and Ford.
The alliance members are expected to "pool resources and increase collaboration" to identify and oust fake goods and sellers and "Alibaba will provide alliance members with big data and advanced technological support in their IP enforcement work, including helping to block, screen and take down infringing listings."
Jessie Zheng, chief platform governance officer at Alibaba, said: "The most powerful weapon against counterfeiting today is data and analytics, and the only way we can win this war is to unite."
In August 2016, Alibaba was quoted saying that it has been successful in removing more than 380 million product listings and closing down 180,000 third-party seller stores which violated their norms and guidelines.
The firm expects more firms to join in the drive against fake listings and counterfeit goods. Zheng said: "Alibaba welcomes brands and other organisations in the creation of the world's first Big Data Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance. With our robust data capabilities, we are confident the alliance will accelerate the digital transformation in our global fight against counterfeits."
"Selling counterfeits not only violates our service agreement, it also infringes on the intellectual property rights of the brand owner, puts inferior products in the hands of consumers, and ruins the hard-earned trust and reputation Alibaba has with our customers."
The Big Data Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance is expected to disclose its progress and results at regular intervals to maintain clarity of their operations and the firm promises to takes more steps if necessary to handle the problem at hand.
