Amazon on Thursday announced the launch of its Anti-Counterfeiting Exchange programme, which aims to help retail stores label and monitor counterfeits on its marketplace platform.
The programme seeks to tackle organized crime and fake merchandise on the platform by allowing stores and Amazon marketplace sellers to contribute information and records anonymously to a third-party database that can flag counterfeiters.
ACX was tested in 2021 with a group of apparel, home goods, and cosmetics stores where counterfeiting is most prevalent.
Amazon, like other online marketplaces in the US, faces challenges in keeping counterfeiters off its platform and preventing fake merchandise from entering its warehouses.
The vice president of Amazon’s selling partner services, Dharmesh Mehta, said in a statement, “We think it is critical to share information about confirmed counterfeiters to help the entire industry stop these criminals earlier.”
The anti-counterfeiting programme is designed like the data exchange programme used by the credit card industry to identify scammers and their tactics.
The company is also collaborating with the US Customs and Border Protection on a data pilot program that can identify and target low-value e-commerce shipments that may contain counterfeit goods or violate other regulations.
