Amazon has announced a new partnership with the US Government’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) in an effort to crackdown on counterfeit goods.
The joint operation, which is also being supported by DHL and US Customs and Border Protection, will aim to prevent fake goods from entering the US. By analyzing data and carrying out targeted inspections aimed at suspected counterfeiters, both Amazon and the IPR Center aim to hold bad actors fully accountable for misleading consumers.
It will be no coincidence that the collaboration has been announced in the lead up to Black Friday, one of Amazon’s busiest days in terms of sales.
“Amazon conducts investigations and sidelines inventory if we suspect a product may be counterfeit, ensuring our customers are protected,” said Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of Customer Trust and Partner Support at Amazon.
“But we also know that counterfeiters don’t just attempt to offer their wares in one store, they attempt to offer them in multiple places. Now, by combining intelligence from Amazon, the IPR Center, and other agencies, we’re able to stop counterfeits at the border, regardless of where bad actors were intending to offer them. We appreciate the partnership from the IPR Center and other agencies to protect American consumers and prosecute bad actors.”
Cracking down on counterfeiters
The sale of counterfeit goods on Amazon is prohibited and the e-commerce firm has invested more than $500 million in the last year alone in order to protect customers from fake items, fraud, and other misuses of its platform. Earlier this year, Amazon created its own Counterfeit Crimes Unit to support law enforcement investigations into counterfeit products.
Amazon’s crusade against counterfeiters utilizes machine learning tools and automated systems to scour its platform for fake goods. So far, the policy seems to be working – across 99.9% of Amazon pages, there have been no valid counterfeit claims made by customers.
With Black Friday approaching, however, and online shopping more popular than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic, now is not the time to get complacent in the battle against fake goods. Amazon’s new partnership with the IPR Center should make it even more difficult for counterfeiters to trick consumers.
