Leading e-commerce platform Lazada and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) are partners in a program battling counterfeiting and piracy by ensuring that both seller and consumer trade safely and trust the online marketplace.
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 protection policy.
Backed by Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, Lazada has introduced a comprehensive intellectual property protection platform.
“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’s 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 of 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.
Lawyer Christine Pangilinan-Canlapan, assistant director of IPOPHL’s Bureau of Legal Affairs and supervising director of the IP Rights Enforcement Office, lauded Lazada for facilitating a thorough 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 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 take down of IP-infringing posts. There are currently 35 signatories to the MOU.
“Lazada’s initiative is a laudable step as it not only fulfills the aim of the e-commerce MOU in protecting the IP rights of brand owners, but also ensures a safe digital space for consumers. Taking the first step in addressing counterfeit and copyright infringing items online will provide our people better options of original and higher quality products,” said IPOPHL director general Rowel S. Barba.
