E-commerce contributes to strike against counterfeits

Taobao.com, China's largest business-to-consumer platform backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba worked with police to bust more than 200 counterfeit manufacturers this year.

Police traced clues reported by taobao.com to find the manufacturing sites of counterfeits sold by online shops, leading to several production chains being dismantled and more than 400 suspects arrested.

The counterfeits include sports wears, suitcases, textiles, cosmetics and drug.

Taobao's data suggested that most of the counterfeits were produced in southeast China regions, where the sales of knock-offs in physical stores and marketplaces are also rampant.

Jack Ma, the founder and board chairman of Alibaba, said in November at the First Internet Conference in east China's rivertown of Wuzhen that e-commerce keeps records of every transaction. Compared to off-line transactions, e-commerce is more helpful in the fight against counterfeits.