Alibaba is one of the technological powerhouses that joined the HTML5 alliance. (Photo : Reuters)
In an effort to improve its ties with high-end retailers who are against knock-off goods, leading e-commerce firm Alibaba has introduced a new system to combat counterfeit products, pcmag.com reported.
Under the "IP Joint Force System," brands will be assigned an Alibaba account manager that they can work hand in hand with in cracking down on fake goods on the e-commerce website.
"The system will enable Alibaba to directly and efficiently seek information from rights holders regarding suspected counterfeit product listings, which Alibaba, as a third-party marketplace, is unable to authenticate on its own with full certainty," Alibaba remarked in the system's description.
"The system allows brands to identify the authenticity of a product and easily notify Alibaba of the infringing listing," the firm added. "Alibaba will then initiate the Good Faith Takedown process and immediately remove the listing without required subsequent correspondence with the brand."
Pcmag.com further quoted the premiere e-commerce company: "This two-way communication stream is critical in creating a feedback loop that will continue to improve the speed and accuracy with which Alibaba is able to determine the authenticity of a product."
Though the new scheme brings promising offer, it is still unclear how many firms will participate.
Apart from "IP Joint Force System," Alibaba also has the "Good Faith Takedown" program, participated in by over 700 firms. With this, brands who are skillful in reporting fake goods will be given priority access to Alibaba's counterfeit monitoring and removal tools.
"As the Internet sector continues to evolve, brands and online marketplaces alike face new IP enforcement challenges," Jessie Zheng, Alibaba's chief platform governance officer, said in a statement. "As the leading online marketplace, we have a responsibility to all of our constituents to govern our platform and find innovative solutions."
Earlier in May, the firm was suspended from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition after the organization received threats from other members that they will leave the group should Alibaba be allowed to stay.
Alibaba was accused by co-members of not undertaking enough measures to go after counterfeit items sold on its marketplaces.
