Simply Simp'Ali

AliBaba has, for a long time now, struggled to deal with intellectual property infringements perpetuated on its platform. It followed Amazon’s lead in setting up a system for rightsholders to use to issue takedowns against infringing listings, that were, in the first instance, automatically withdrawn from the site pending a response from the party posting the listing.

The AliBaba group, which runs around a dozen ecommerce sites, seemed to have spared no expense in rolling out its IPR System, which is much more user-friendly than its Amazon equivalent.

It is now going further, and has begun rolling out (in an extended pilot the beta of which began in October 2020) its Simp’Ali IPR Cooperation Program. The Simp’Ali program has the stated aim of more joined up working between the “Ali-“ prefixed websites and the “Tao-“ prefixed websites (such as Taobao, Tmall, and Tmall Global), which are all part of the same group but previously had different systems and requirements within the IPR complaints system.

A further aim is said to be education – the system is ‘smart’ and should be able to flag repeat offenders and offer digital or in-person workshops and training to help offenders learn how to recognise IP rights and avoid issues in the future.

The benefit to the guinea pig businesses trying the Simp’Ali system at this early stage is mainly the dedicated support team that will be assessing the matters, which should translate as quicker response times.

It is unclear whether businesses can request to join the pilot, but if you already have an IPR account with the AliGroup, it would certainly be worth asking the question.

If you have any questions about this or any other IP issue, please get in touch with the team on 0191 281 4000 or by email at legal@mcdanielslaw.com.