Amazon sets up special unit to end counterfeiting

Amazon announced this week the creation of a new team, made up of lawyers, investigators and data analysts, to fight the sale of counterfeit products on its platform. New counterfeiting unit arrives as e-commerce giant faces pressure from lawmakers to act against problth.

The new global unit will use Amazon data, information from external resources such as payment service providers and "field players " to investigate suspected counterfeits . It should help Amazon more effectively pursue litigation in such cases and work in cooperation with brands. A few days ago, Amazon and the Italian luxury brand Valentino have filed a joint complaint against a New York company for allegedly selling counterfeit Valentino shoes on the Amazon marketplace.

The new unit should also help Amazon work more closely with law enforcement. "Each counterfeiter is informed that he will be held responsible as far as possible underof the law, regardless of where it tries to sell its counterfeits or where it is located, "said Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of client trust and partner support. 'Amazon, in a statement.

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$ 500 million to fight fraud

Amazon a said the new global unit is part of "Amazon's vast work to reduce counterfeiting to naught ". The company said it spent more than $ 500 million last year on fraud, including including counterfeiting, and having more than 8,000 employees working on the issue. Amazon said it blocked more than 6 billion suspicious registrations in 2019, as well as more than 2.5 million suspected user accounts. 'be bad before they can put items on sale.

Yet U.S. lawmakers are pressuring Amazon and other online platforms to do more. Last year, the US Senate finance committee released a 245-page report on the sale of counterfeit products online. He cited in particular the sale of counterfeit electronic cigarettes, as well as other potentially harmful or dangerous products such as electronic devices with counterfeit batteries, on Amazon as well as on other platforms.

Au early this year, chairman of the energy and trade committee, frank pallone, held a audition on the subject. He noted that "the practicess and the policies of online platforms have made it increasingly difficult for consumers, even the most sophisticated, to avoid counterfeit and dangerous products ".

Meanwhile, a group of Bipartisan representatives unveiled a bill called "Stop harmful offers on platforms by detecting counterfeits in electronic commerce ". This law encourages platforms to implement best practices to curb sales of counterfeits, and it establishes a certain responsibility for the sale of counterfeit products that pose a risk to the health or safety of consumers.

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