AmorePacific, Alibaba to step up efforts to curb fake cosmetics trade

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korean top cosmetics maker AmorePacific Co. said Thursday it will join hands with Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba to monitor sales of counterfeit beauty products to tackle the growing problem at its popular online marketplaces.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at Alibaba's headquarters in the southern city of Hangzhou to step up efforts to curb trade of imitation products in its webstores, such as Taobao and Tmall.

Under the deal, they will jointly investigate bogus goods listed on popular online market places and suspend their operations.

The companies also agreed to make a list of retailers who sell counterfeit cosmetics and eliminate their sales links to prevent the recurrence of such practices.

"Through this MOU, we will beef up efforts to crack down on confiscated cosmetics sold online," Kwon Su-jung, an intellectual property counsel at AmorePacific, said. "We will take active steps to support healthy growth of Chinese e-commerce market and protect customers' rights."

AmorePacific has been operating its anti-counterfeit team under the Chinese branch as its best-selling items, such as cushion pacts, have become frequent targets of the counterfeit business over the past years.

The company said it has frequently crackdowns on knockoff brand stores bearing its brand names, including Sulhwasoo, Hera and Laneige, across the mainland. The Hera brand has not even launched in China yet.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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