Gucci Sues Alibaba Over “Counterfeit Goods”

Posted by Wing Sze Yu.

This article talks about China’s leading online marketplace, Alibaba, being sued by the owner of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Puma, Kering Group, and other fashion brands for selling fake goods. This is not the first time that Alibaba is being complained about selling fake goods. The company states that it is taking action to fight against fake goods on its various websites.

Kering took legal action against Alibaba last, but the case was later dropped. However, Alibaba insisted that “it was enforcing a zero tolerance policy towards fakes.” To help customers to figure out if the products are authentic or not, Alibaba has recently announced a new anti-counterfeit technology. “The firm has announced a tie-up with an Israeli start-up to offer visual markers – similar to but less obtrusive than QR codes – that can be scanned with its Taobao app to prove that goods are genuine. Manufacturers are being invited to add the ‘dotless visual codes’ to their labels to help prove they are authentic.”

Wing is an accounting major at the Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University, Class of 2018.