Zero tolerance for counterfeiting! 64 people sued, over 400 million links removed!

The issue of infringement has become a dark cloud hanging over the heads of every cross-border seller, and it is difficult to get rid of.

If you ask what cross-border sellers fear the most, it is the sudden infringement complaints during their business operations. E-commerce platforms, led by Amazon, hate infringements so much that they will remove product links or even block accounts if they appear.

An industry monitoring agency has discovered and deleted more than 400 million listing links of counterfeit goods on platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Wish, Newegg, and Alibaba. With counterfeit goods rampant, Amazon and other platforms have also stepped up their efforts to crack down on infringing products.

According to the latest data from Amazon, in the past year, they have filed civil lawsuits against 64 counterfeiters, and cooperated with many brands including GoPro, Valentino, and Ferragamo to combat counterfeiters. More stringent measures will be taken in the future to combat counterfeiting.

If cross-border sellers want to operate well and avoid being affected by the platform's anti-counterfeiting storm, they must realize the importance of brand and always pay attention to the dynamics of trademark registration. The latest news shows that the US Trademark and Patent Office has introduced a new policy to conduct identity verification on trademark applicants.

Amazon is committed to drawing up a blueprint to combat counterfeiting by stepping up its efforts

E-commerce giant Amazon has been stepping up its anti-counterfeiting efforts through various means and is committed to drawing up a blueprint to combat counterfeiting.

Recently, Amazon released a new announcement on its forum, disclosing the anti-counterfeiting achievements of its Counterfeit Crime Unit ( CCU) over the past year. Amazon said that they have a responsibility to protect consumers, brands and stores from counterfeit products, and they have been working hard to do so.

In the past year, Amazon CCU department's anti-counterfeiting work has achieved the following results:

1. Providing evidence against more than 250 counterfeiters for criminal investigations in the EU, UK, US and China;

2. Civil lawsuits were filed against 64 counterfeiters;

3. Disrupted counterfeiters and their supply networks around the world, including counterfeit suppliers, logistics providers, social media influencers, fake invoice suppliers, identity fraudsters, and website fraudsters, through civil litigation, joint law enforcement actions around the world, and seizures of counterfeit goods;

4. Partner with brands including GoPro, Valentino, and Salvatore Ferragamo to combat counterfeiters.

Amazon also said it will continue to invest in its brand protection program to improve the seller experience, protect the interests of brands and customers, and hold bad actors accountable.

Talking about the next anti-counterfeiting plan, Amazon said it will work to reduce the rate of customer complaints about counterfeit and substandard products, while increasing the number of brands in the brand registry and using industry-leading brand anti-counterfeiting tools to protect the Amazon brand. In addition, Amazon will also work with law enforcement agencies and courts to increase the number of criminal referrals and lawsuits to bring counterfeiters to justice.

Amazon, Walmart, eBay and other platforms have serious problems with counterfeit goods

Consumers expect that they can buy genuine products instead of fakes on e-commerce platforms, but most of the time, this is not the case. Amazon , Walmart and eBay platforms are full of fakes , imitations and fraudulent products , and many times consumers are unaware of this situation.

Platforms such as Walmart and Amazon are direct retailers of fakes, frauds and knockoffs, in addition to selling some fakes provided by third parties . While eBay is not a direct seller of goods , it has evolved into a hosting platform where third-party sellers can list goods, including pirated counterfeits .

Decades ago , counterfeiting meant selling fakes on street corners. With the explosion of platforms like Walmart, Amazon, Newegg , Wish, and eBay , pirated products have the opportunity to be delivered directly to consumers’ homes.

E -commerce giants have made huge profits while evading responsibility, and ultimately it is consumers who bear the losses caused by related pirated products .

How serious is the problem of copyright infringement ?

The Counterfeit Report is an award - winning industry watchdog that has discovered and removed over 400 million listings of counterfeit goods on platforms including Amazon , Walmart, eBay, Wish, Newegg, and Alibaba .

These 400 million pieces are only a small fraction of the counterfeit goods that reach consumers . Amazon and Walmart are often reported to ignore complaints from copyright holders , and sellers can relist their listings after they have been deleted . The fact that 500,000 brands are fighting against counterfeiting on the Amazon platform reveals the severity of the counterfeit problem on the platform to a certain extent .

In addition, there have been numerous media reports and investigations exposing that Amazon , eBay, and Walmart platforms sell banned, unsafe, counterfeit , mislabeled, or stolen products , even Amazon's own and Amazon's Choice are no exception .

According to a secret investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office into counterfeit goods on e-commerce platforms including Walmart, Amazon , Newegg and eBay , about 50% of the goods sold on these platforms are counterfeit.

Counterfeiting and piracy are heinous acts. It is estimated that by 2022 , the losses caused by them will grow to $4.5 trillion and cause a net loss of 5.4 million jobs.

Hans Leiterman, assistant regional port director for U.S. Customs, said about 57 million packages circulate during the holiday shopping season between November and January , often containing counterfeit goods.

The U.S. Trademark and Patent Office has introduced a new policy to verify the identity of trademark applicants

Whether it is Amazon or other e-commerce platforms, the crackdown on counterfeiting is increasing. Therefore, sellers must abide by the platform rules when operating , have brand awareness, and register trademarks in a timely manner.

Speaking of trademarks, the editor learned that recently, the United States Patent and Trademark Office ( USPTO) issued an announcement stating that it will conduct identity verification on trademark applicants.

The announcement shows that starting from January 8, 2022, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) and TEAS International (TEASi) to introduce identity verification for USPTO.gov account holders . As part of this one-time verification process, the USPTO will verify applicants through the technology provided by ID.me, mainly verifying the applicant's identity information and the applicant's USPTO.gov account, and the applicant does not need to pay any fees.

According to the USPTO, ID.me has worked with numerous government companies and agencies to help them meet federal certification requirements, while also providing National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identity assurance.

Subsequently, the United States Patent and Trademark Office emphasized that starting April 9, 2022, USPTO.gov account holders will need to submit identity verification through TEAS and TEASi.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office stated that identity verification can effectively prevent fraudulent trademark applications and bad practices that deceive trademark users. The policy introduced this time requires trademark applicants to undergo identity verification, which aims to enhance the security of the trademark application process while protecting the integrity of U.S. trademark registrations.

It is worth noting that the following trademark applicants will not be required to undergo identity verification:

1. If the USPTO has previously verified the applicant's identity during the patent application process, the applicant does not need to verify again. However, if the USPTO cannot automatically determine the applicant's identity, the applicant may still need to select a trademark application role.

2. If the applicant is a trademark owner represented by an attorney, the applicant can electronically sign the form sent by the applicant 's attorney without verifying his or her identity . However, once the attorney's representation ends, the applicant still needs to verify his or her identity before submitting the document.

Cross-border sellers should not ignore the latest news on the above trademark applications.

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