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A key investigative branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security praised Alibaba Group this week for years of support of anti-counterfeiting initiatives in America and around the world.
The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), operated by Homeland Security Investigations, is the U.S. government’s frontline response to IP theft and trade law violations.
It works with 25 federal and international government agencies, from Europe to Mexico, to combat illegal activities and investigate bad actors.
E-commerce platform companies such as Alibaba also have an important role to play in this fight to protect consumers.
“Alibaba has consistently proven its leadership in IPR protection many times over and is clearly committed to combatting illicit actors engaged in the trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods,” James Mancuso, Director, U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, said in a letter.
The Hangzhou-based platform company helps protect rights-holders through the Alibaba Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance (AACA) and its IPR-infringement monitoring program Queqiao, which makes it easier to locate and address violations.
On behalf of the entire IPR Center, we thank Alibaba for your meaningful partnerships and substantial efforts in helping to protect consumers and rights holders alike
Between July 2022 and June 2023, Alibaba’s anti-counterfeiting programs initiated 168 law enforcement referrals and led to 619 arrests.
During that same period, the Hangzhou-based platform company responded to thousands of law enforcement requests for information, facilitating an additional 751 arrests.
“We greatly appreciate the IPR Center’s recognition of our overall commitment and leadership in this space, and will continue to work collaboratively with the IPR Center on concerted efforts to combat counterfeiting both online and offline,” said Matthew Bassiur, Alibaba’s Vice President and Head of Global IP Enforcement.
The AACA had over 220 members representing more than 1,100 brands by the end of 2022.
Leading by Example
This is not the first time Alibaba has been recognized for its anti-counterfeiting work, which receives accolades from governments and global organizations alike.
In 2020, Alibaba was the only non-American marketplace to win the IPR Center’s Partnership Awards for combating intellectual property and trade fraud crimes.
“By strengthening our alliances and pooling our collective knowledge and technology, we can protect consumers and uphold the integrity of our digital marketplaces,” said Bob Barchiesi, President, International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), during his opening remarks at the organization’s annual conference earlier this month.
The IACC has regularly partnered with Alibaba since 2012 on anti-counterfeiting initiatives.
At the conference, which brought together over 600 government and private sector representatives from 50 countries, Alibaba’s cross-border marketplace AliExpress also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency (KOIPA).
“We are always stronger when working together, and we are all part of the solution,” said Bassiur.
