Global online marketplace Temu is collaborating with the Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency to enhance efforts against counterfeit K-brands and strengthen intellectual property rights protection. The two parties plan to establish a dedicated communication channel to swiftly address domestic companies' reports of intellectual property infringements.
Temu announced on July 1 that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency on June 29 to protect K-brand intellectual property rights. The signing ceremony was attended by Son Chang-ho, head of the Management Innovation Division at the agency, and Jeremy Jin, Vice President of Operations at Temu.
Under this agreement, the two organizations will operate a dedicated communication system to expedite the reporting, verification, and removal processes for suspected intellectual property infringement products identified by Korean companies.
Temu will utilize its detection technology and specialized review personnel to limit the registration of products that are likely to be counterfeit or suspected of infringing intellectual property rights. The Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency will assist by verifying the authenticity of these products and confirming the actual owners of trademarks and other intellectual property rights.
This partnership focuses on supporting the enforcement of intellectual property rights for Korean companies across more than 90 markets where Temu operates. The agency will provide guidance on Temu's intellectual property protection tools and infringement reporting procedures to domestic companies.
The government is also expanding efforts to curb the distribution of counterfeit K-brands through overseas online platforms. The Intellectual Property Office plans to increase the number of blocked overseas online counterfeit product listings from approximately 210,000 in 2025 to 300,000 by 2027, and to expand the number of overseas platforms with which it has cooperation agreements from six to eight. The agreement with Temu is seen as an extension of the government's policy to strengthen direct collaboration with platforms.
Temu manages intellectual property infringement products through seller identity verification, pre-registration reviews, and 24-hour monitoring.
According to Temu, its proactive monitoring database includes over 15,000 brands, more than 47 million images, and over 9.5 million related keywords. Complaints related to intellectual property rights, such as copyright issues, are typically processed within 24 hours.
Since April 2024, Temu has been operating a 'Brand Protection Initiative,' which provides support for reporting and enforcing infringement products, even for brands not directly listed on the platform. The seller education center also conducts training on compliance with intellectual property rights, including trademark and copyright laws.
Additionally, when consumers search for terms related to counterfeits, such as 'fake,' 'knockoff,' or 'replica,' Temu blocks the search results and displays a message guiding them to purchase genuine products. This feature has reportedly been executed over 200 million times worldwide as of May.
A Temu representative stated, "Protecting intellectual property rights is essential for building a marketplace that consumers and brands can trust. Our partnership with the Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency demonstrates Temu's ongoing commitment to intellectual property protection, and we will work closely with rights holders and regulatory agencies to eliminate counterfeits."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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