Lazada Philippines and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) have intensified their partnership to address counterfeiting and piracy online.
Lazada Philippines, backed by Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, introduced its comprehensive IP protection platform with brand owners.
Gordon Song, Lazada’s executive vice president for business risk, emphasized the importance of educating sellers and customers about trademark violations and copyright infringements, and collaborating with stakeholders to establish a robust intellectual property rights (IPR) protection policy.
“At Lazada, we aim to enlighten and help rights holders and brands – whether or not they are partnered with us – in upholding their IP rights as this is crucial in protecting their business. We firmly stand by IPR protection as a core value of Lazada,” Song said.
Lazada, in collaboration with IPOPHL, conducted an informative session with fellow signatories of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) consisting of brand owners cooperating to address counterfeiting and piracy online.
Lazada said its robust IPR program integrates stringent policies, seller education initiatives, cutting-edge technology, a redeveloped IP protection platform, and online-to-offline enforcement measures, including raids, seizures and prosecution targeting repeat offenders and violators.
“Intellectual property is an asset to its owners. If you create intellectual property, it belongs to you – you’ve invested time, effort, and money into it, and thus we are driven to protect those rights. That’s our fundamental belief as an online marketplace,” Song added.
Christine Pangilinan-Canlapan, assistant director of IPOPHL’s Bureau of Legal affairs and supervising director of the IP Rights Enforcement Office, thanked Lazada for facilitating a discussion on the importance of protecting intellectual property in online marketplaces.
“We encourage you to continue learning about intellectual property rights, leveraging the resources provided by Lazada and other trusted sources, and together we can foster a culture of innovation and respect for intellectual property that contributes to a thriving e-commerce ecosystem,” Pangilinan-Canlapan said.
The IPOPHL also encouraged brand owners to take note of Lazada’s online-to-offline enforcement options, assuring their assistance when needed.
Lazada’s IPR Program will also support the efforts of signatories of the e-commerce MOU to curb online counterfeiting and piracy.
First launched in 2021 and currently facilitated by IPOPHL, the MOU guides signatories composed of brand owners, online platforms, and commerce and trade organizations in making a more active effort and introducing streamlined processes to take down or request the takedown of IP-infringing posts. There are currently 35 signatories to the MOU.
