IACC and Amazon Initiate New Brand Engagement Program
International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition and Amazon to Initiate New Brand Engagement Program
Program will Strengthen Collaboration and Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts by Amazon and Member Brands
Seattle, Washington – April 26, 2018 –Today, on World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) and Amazon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will enhance collaboration and anti-counterfeiting efforts between Amazon and IACC members. The MOU is a reflection of Amazon’s commitment to protecting customers and rights holders’ IP, and the IACC’s ability to build bridges between different sectors and industries in order to protect IP on the Internet.
Under the agreement, the IACC will work with Amazon on the assessment of claims of potential infringement, reporting, and enforcement. Further details will be released in the upcoming weeks.
“Whether you are a rights holder, an intermediary site, or an online shopper–counterfeiting negatively affects us all,” said Bob Barchiesi, president, IACC. “By working with Amazon, the IACC continues its outreach to all stakeholders facing this insidious threat. Through collaboration, creativity, and a common commitment to a safe and trusted marketplace, we will continue to iterate and drive real solutions. We are excited to continue our relationship with Amazon through this new and worthwhile endeavor.”
“At Amazon, we work hard every day to earn and keep customer trust, and that includes ensuring they buy and receive authentic products,” said Dharmesh Mehta, vice president, Amazon Customer and Brand Protection. “We’ve made tremendous progress in protecting customers and brands, particularly through our proactive efforts and collaboration with rights holders in Brand Registry. But, there’s always more to do and this effort with the IACC will help us learn and continue to improve our systems.”
Amazon Brand Registry provides rights holders with improved tools to protect their IP on Amazon’s websites. More than 40,000 brands worldwide are already enrolled in Brand Registry and Amazon investigated and took action on over 95% of the notices of potential infringement received from Brand Registry within eight hours.
The IACC’s collaborative approach aims to combine the organization’s information, resources, and expertise with those of its partners to advance the fight against counterfeiting. As part of its anti-counterfeiting strategy, the IACC forms relationships and partnerships with intermediaries like Amazon to develop innovative initiatives that effectively address counterfeiting. Another example is the IACC RogueBlock Program.
IACC President Bob Barchiesi and Amazon’s Vice President of Customer and Brand Protection Dharmesh Mehta signed the MOU at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle.
About IACC
The IACC (www.iacc.org) is a Washington, DC-based not for profit organization representing the interests of companies concerned with trademark counterfeiting and the related theft of intellectual property. The members of the IACC include many of the world’s best-known brands across all product sectors. The IACC has played a leading role in the development of cross-industry voluntary agreements, to address the illicit trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods online, including its IACC RogueBlock initiative.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
CONTACT
Jessica Tuquero
IACC
+1.646.755.9847
jessica@macropublicrelations.com
Cecilia Fan
Amazon