«Over 250 counterfeiters reported between the European Union, the United Kingdom, the US and China and 64 civil cases against counterfeiters. But more cooperation and, above all, more communication, between platforms and judicial and customs authorities are needed to tighten the links of a phenomenon that the OECD estimates is worth (between fakes and piracy) 2.5% of world trade, equal to about 400 million euros “. To explain it – during a restricted press conference, organized by the Seattle giant – was Kebharu Smith, director of Counterfeit Crimes Unit (Ccu) of Amazon, the anti-fake unit born in 2020 to combat counterfeiting not only on the virtual marketplace windows but also to help deliver counterfeiters to law enforcement agencies and bring joint civil lawsuits with the big brands.
The initiatives
“In addition to the numbers – said Smith – we have disrupted the distribution networks, through civil lawsuits, joint law enforcement actions and kidnappings against suppliers, logistics operators, social media influencers, operators who issue false invoices, identity thieves and creators of fake websites. We have filed joint lawsuits with Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo and even GoPro, to prosecute counterfeiters. But it is clear that the methods of collaboration between the public and private sectors must be profoundly changed ”.
“Last fall in the United States – explained Smith – by collaborating with Customs and the Department of Homeland Security, we allowed law enforcement to seize eight loads of 18-wheel trucks, consisting of fake car radiators with the brands of several car manufacturers, preventing not only counterfeit products from reaching Amazon customers, but also retailers and traditional stores. Not only. In 2020, Customs informed us of a seizure by them of a shipment of earphone cases with unauthorized logos. We immediately quarantined other items from those counterfeiters in our distribution network, and closed their accounts. We collaborated to sue the 13 counterfeiters in the US courts ». But the flow of information doesn’t always work.
A collaboration to improve
«Customs authorities – said Kebharu Smith – should inform distribution networks (such as Amazon’s) when they seize loads destined for a specific network, and the legislator should eliminate any obstacles to this crucial flow of information. Similarly, Amazon provides support to all marketplaces and logistics providers who share information on counterfeiting activities with customs authorities, both to streamline detection and seizure efforts, and to increase the ability to dismantle the criminal networks that manage these products. illegal “
“With a small number of companies we have recently launched a pilot program to exchange information on counterfeiters – said Smith -. On those verified and shared with other stores, we found matches in accounts that had tried to sell products also in our store. These are counterfeiters that other players in the sector could have identified and stopped earlier if we all started sharing that data with each other. The private sector must lead the way. The member states of the European Union – concluded the director of the anti-counterfeiting unit – have recently reinserted counterfeiting among the priorities in the fight against criminal threats. National governments must now translate this commitment into local initiatives ”.