Amazon leads the charge: Combating fraud and counterfeitting

• Amazon’s Brand Protection Report reveals the company’s cutting-edge technology and expert team have successfully discouraged malicious actors and blocked millions of fake products from infiltrating the global supply chain.

Counterfeiting is a worldwide issue affecting all retail channels, and Amazon is committed to combating this fraud through efficient collaboration among various stakeholders.

Amazon published its third annual Brand Protection Report, showcasing the company’s heightened efforts in safeguarding customers, brands, and selling partners from counterfeit goods, resulting in unprecedented criminal referrals and industry collaborations. The report also emphasizes how the strategic fusion of cutting-edge technology and experts effectively stops malicious actors, making a difference in Amazon’s store and beyond.

“We collaborate closely with brands, law enforcement, and customers worldwide to effectively combat counterfeiting and hold the perpetrators accountable. We take pride in the progress we’ve made this year,” said Anna Dalla Val, Director of Global Brand Relations at Amazon. “Although the industry still has a considerable journey ahead in fostering the right public and private sector partnerships, we are enthusiastic about our collective potential to hold malicious actors responsible and ensure that the entire industry, not just the Amazon store, is free of counterfeits.”

Amazon’s Brand Protection Report highlights progress in four key areas. They are robust proactive controls to protect their store, powerful tools to protect brands, holding bad actors accountable, and protecting and educating customers:

Increasingly deterring bad actors: Amazon’s robust seller verification, which includes connecting one-on-one with prospective sellers through video chat, along with continuous advancements in their machine learning-based detection, deters bad actors from attempting to create new Amazon selling accounts. In 2022, they stopped over 800,000 attempts to create new selling accounts, preventing bad actors from publishing a single product for sale—down from 2.5 million attempts in 2021 and 6 million attempts in 2020.

Expanded adoption of brand protection tools: Amazon enhances its automated protection technologies in collaboration with brands enrolled in the Brand Registry, reducing infringement reporting. In 2022, brand protection program adoption grew, while valid infringement notices in the Brand Registry dropped by over 35%.

Holding counterfeiters accountable: Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has made significant progress in combating counterfeits. In 2022, they sued or referred over 1,300 criminals across the U.S., UK, EU, and China for investigation. Through partnerships with brands and law enforcement, they identified, seized, and disposed of over six million counterfeit products, stopping these bad actors and disrupting the supply chain.

Strengthening consumer education: Collaborating with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Customs and Border Protection, Amazon developed marketing campaigns to educate consumers on safe shopping, authentic product purchases, and the risks associated with counterfeit goods.

Amazon targets fraud through collaborative efforts in APAC

Companies like Amazon work closely with governments and other stakeholders to establish a safe environment for online sellers, enabling them to achieve their global ambitions in the APAC region.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Amazon Japan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Customs and Tariff Bureau of the Ministry of Finance. The partnership aims to strengthen their cooperative relationship in border control of counterfeit goods and prevent the influx of intellectual property-infringing goods into Japan. By jointly considering ways to enhance cooperation, Amazon Japan and the Customs and Tariff Bureau hope to efficiently identify counterfeiters at the border, crack down on malicious dealers, and further strengthen the prevention of counterfeit goods entering the domestic market.

Amazon has also taken various measures to ensure customers can shop with peace of mind, as evidenced by their latest Brand Protection Report. In 2022, we invested more than $1.2 billion and employed over 15,000 people—including machine learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators— dedicated to protecting customers, brands, selling partners, and our store from counterfeit, fraud, and other forms of abuse. Amazon Brand Registry, Project Zero, Transparency, and Amazon IP Accelerator are among the tools and services provided to brand owners in Japan to help fight counterfeits.

Also in 2021, Amazon launched the Intellectual Property Accelerator (IP Accelerator) in Singapore, streamlining the process for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to obtain trademarks, protect their brands, and tackle infringing goods in Amazon’s stores and the broader marketplace. IP Accelerator connects Singapore SMB owners with a curated network of local law firms offering competitive, pre-negotiated rates on key services, granting SMBs easier access to expert legal and general IP advice.

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