International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition Announces Collaborations With Taobao, DHgate to Fight Counterfeiting Online

News provided by

International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition

Sep 20, 2012, 11:51 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition ("IACC") announced today that it has reached agreements with two of the largest online platforms in China: Taobao Marketplace, and DHgate, seeking to combat the trafficking of counterfeit goods online. "This was a logical next step," stated Bob Barchiesi, IACC President. "Every legitimate business has a shared interest, and a shared responsibility, in making sure that the online marketplace continues to develop as a trusted commercial platform."

Following the encouragement of Victoria Espinel, the Obama Administration's Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), for private-sector stakeholders to collaborate on voluntary efforts to address intellectual property theft on the internet, the IACC began working with the payment processing industry to identify and prevent illegal commercial transactions online. The newly announced initiatives with Taobao and DHgate represent a further step towards fulfilling an even broader range of voluntary collaboration among stakeholders, as encouraged by the IPEC.

The new agreements envision cooperation on a variety of fronts, including: the development of best practices for identifying, reporting, and remediating sellers of illicit goods; leveraging available technologies to improve the efficiency of such operations, and the development of educational materials for both sellers and buyers active on the platform.

The IACC is hopeful that these agreements will be a positive first step in reducing the significant volume of counterfeit goods sold online; and is continuing discussions with others in the sector to combat the trafficking of counterfeits on the internet.

The IACC is a Washington, DC-based not for profit organization representing the interests of companies concerned with trademark counterfeiting and the related theft of intellectual property. The members of the IACC represent a broad cross-section of industries, and include many of the world's best known companies in the apparel, automotive, consumer goods, entertainment, pharmaceutical, and other product sectors. The IACC is committed to working with government and industry partners in the United States and abroad to strengthen IP protection by encouraging improvements in the law and the allocation of greater political priority and resources, as well as by raising awareness regarding the range of harms caused by IP violations.

SOURCE International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition