Internet Association member companies take the lead in combating the sale of counterfeits on their platforms by creating transparent and innovative counterfeit reporting tools, proactively partnering with rights-holders and enforcement entities, implementing clear anti-counterfeit policies, and working with law enforcement.
Notice-And-Takedown Services
IA member companies have robust systems in place to remove infringing content, including:
- Clear Terms of Service and policies prohibiting IP infringement (including counterfeits)
- Publicly accessible and easy-to-use reporting forms
- Global notice-and-takedown teams
- Prompt removal of reported listings
- Robust repeat infringer policies
Partnerships With Rightsholders
IA member companies work with rightsholders to stop infringement through:
- Mechanisms available to rightsholders to flag and remove problematic sellers and listings
- Specialized tools or dashboards for rightsholders to more effectively identify and remove infringing content
- Dedicated channels for rightsholders to report infringement
- Sharing trends and insights to help inform anti-counterfeiting measures
Proactive Efforts
IA member companies work every day to keep counterfeit items off their platforms through:
- Machine review of listings before they’re posted
- Blocking suspected infringing listings from being published
- Banning sellers with multiple violations
- Shutting down related sellers and preventing banned users or sellers from returning to the platform
- Tools for users and customers to flag problematic sellers and listings
- Removing suspected fake reviews
Partnerships With Law Enforcement
IA member companies regularly work with federal, state and local law enforcement, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the National Intellectual Property Rights Center, to:
- Create training programs to ensure officials understand how platforms work and the most effective evolving investigation techniques
- Assist in ongoing investigations
- Encourage users to report illegal activity to appropriate authorities
INFORM Consumers Act
As Congress looks at ways to combat the sale of counterfeit goods, it is important that any legislation achieves the intended outcome and does not create additional problems for small sellers. Internet companies stand ready to engage with Congress on achieving its intended goal.
Internet companies proactively create close relationships with law enforcement to combat counterfeit goods, including active engagement with: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the National Intellectual Property Rights Center under the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal and state enforcement agencies.
Services regularly report misconduct and help in supporting ongoing investigations, and several proactively create training programs to ensure that law enforcement officials understand how the services work and to provide information about evolving internet-based investigative techniques, among other emerging trends. IA member companies encourage users to report illegal activities to appropriate authorities and have created links to facilitate such reporting.
Letters, Posts, and Resources Opposing INFORM Consumers Act:
