Online retail giant Alibaba has launched a new initiative aimed at tackling the counterfeit goods trade.
An alliance has been established between the online marketplace and key international brands including Swarovski, Louis Vuitton and Samsung.
The aim is to pool resources and use big data to recognise fake goods sellers and then work with retailers to sue them, stamping out illegal goods and providing a deterrent.
According to Alibaba, its system – which scans 10 million items per day – has already led to the removal of 380 million fake items.
It will use this system and its masses of data to support brands prone falling victim to counterfeit fraud.
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“The most powerful weapon against counterfeiting today is data and analytics, and the only way we can win this war is to unite,” Alibaba‘s chief platform officer Jessie Zheng said.
“With our robust data capabilities, we are confident the alliance will accelerate the digital transformation in our global fight against counterfeits.”
Rival online retail platform eBay is set to introduce a similar tool for stopping counterfeit sellers, launching eBay Authenticate by the end of the year.
This will see sellers and buyers able to pay for items to be authenticated by a human inspector.
It aims to restore consumer confidence when buying high-end items through the etailer.
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