Temu joins Philippine fight vs counterfeiting

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Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has agreed to cooperate with the Philippines’ campaign to rid online marketplaces of counterfeit goods.

Temu signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), which leads government efforts to protect intellectual property rights and combat counterfeiting and piracy.

Under the voluntary arrangement, intellectual property rights holders can report potentially infringing listings.

Then, participating platforms can coordinate with IPOPHL and brand owners to address complaints and facilitate the removal of counterfeit products.

“E-commerce platforms are a significant driver of consumer activity in the Philippines, making them important partners in protecting buyers and legitimate businesses from counterfeit goods,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General Nathaniel Arevalo said.

“Temu’s participation in the MOU on e-commerce will further broaden the collaboration among platforms, right holders and IPOPHL on intellectual property protection online,” Arevalo added.

Temu, which established presence in the Philippines in 2023, operates in more than 90 markets worldwide and offers a broad range of consumer products through independent sellers.

The company now joins Lazada, Shopee, Zalora and TikTok Shop among the e-commerce platforms participating in IPOPHL’s initiative.

The agreement followed initial discussions between IPOPHL and Temu during the World Intellectual Property Organization’s dialogue on intellectual property protection in e-commerce last June.

Even before signing the agreement, Temu had introduced measures to identify and address potentially infringing product listings, according to IPOPHL.

The company launched an IP Protection Portal in 2023, followed by its Brand Guardian Initiative in 2024, which it said has established regular engagement with more than 3,000 rights holders.

Temu also maintains a monitoring database covering more than 15,000 brands, using over 47 million images and 9.5 million keywords to flag potential infringements.