Amazon brought brands, government agencies, industry associations, and enforcement partners together at its fourth annual Brand Protection Experience Sharing Meeting in Shanghai to address the evolving challenges of cross-border intellectual property (IP) protection.
Building on previous meetings, the 2025 conference highlighted the growing importance of cross-border collaboration, advanced technology, and shared governance in protecting customers and brands worldwide.
Global collaboration at scale
With nearly 2 million independent selling partners worldwide selling in the Amazon store, global commerce has entered a new era defined by unprecedented scale and rapid evolution. This extraordinary growth brings equally significant challenges. As cross-border trade expands, protecting intellectual property becomes a foundational pillar of sustainable brand growth.
The complexity of global commerce means no single entity can tackle these challenges alone—which is why bringing industry stakeholders together is essential. Brand protection is an ongoing journey that requires collaboration between online retailers, brands, regulators, and industry partners to build the trust and infrastructure that allows brands to thrive. This year’s conference welcomed representatives from around the world—including the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)—all of whom share the same commitment to cross-border governance and brand protection.
Charles Wright, vice president and associate general counsel at Amazon, who opened the conference, emphasized the strategic importance of international collaboration. “Our goal is to stop counterfeits and other forms of IP infringement not only in Amazon’s stores, but anywhere in the supply chain,” Wright stated. “These collaborations create ripple effects that help protect brands everywhere.”
Rohan Oommen, vice president of worldwide trustworthy shopping at Amazon, noted that conference attendance has grown steadily over the past four years. Hosting the event in Shanghai underscored Amazon’s commitment to working globally with brands, authorities, and partners to disrupt counterfeiting. Amazon translates this commitment into tangible enforcement action through its Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), which works with brands and law enforcement to dismantle counterfeit operations beyond individual listings. By combining advanced data analytics with investigative expertise, the CCU supports raids, seizures, and legal actions targeting manufacturers, suppliers, and distribution networks.
Over the last five years, the CCU’s global reach has expanded from operating in just two countries initially to 12 countries today, including the U.S., China, France, India, and the UK. This expansion acknowledges the borderless nature of counterfeiting operations and the need for a strong global response. In five years, the CCU has initiated over 200 civil actions against bad actors and our efforts in fighting counterfeit and fraud have resulted in more than $180 million in court-ordered restitution and judgments for brands and victims. This work has also led to significant criminal prosecutions and penalties for counterfeiters worldwide, including prison sentences for more than 65 individuals.
“This sends a clear message to counterfeiters: their actions have serious repercussions,” said Kebharu Smith, director of the CCU.
Proactive protection powered by advanced technology
Amazon is using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to move toward more proactive prevention and predictive protection. Oommen emphasized that traditional, rules-based approaches are no longer sufficient, and that AI is essential because it can scale with volume, adapt in real time, and incorporate insights from both Amazon and brand partners.
To detect counterfeits more effectively, Amazon’s systems use multimodal large language models that analyze text, visuals, and pricing patterns collectively and simultaneously. Generative AI helps create synthetic data—examples of logo misuse or IP violations that haven’t happened yet but likely will—enabling Amazon to test new detection models rapidly.
In 2024, Amazon proactively blocked more than 99% of suspected infringing listings before brands needed to report them.
However, in those cases when brands find infringements and report them through Report a Violation or Project Zero, that data feeds directly into Amazon’s models. “Some of the most impactful data points are the ones you all provide,” Oommen said. “The more data our systems can consider and learn from, the smarter they get.” By actively using these reporting tools, brands help train Amazon’s AI to detect issues before they scale, keeping the system one step ahead of bad actors.
Amazon also shared updates on next-generation capabilities, including vision-based compliance tools designed to verify products earlier in the supply chain—part of Amazon’s broader effort to anticipate threats before they reach the catalog.
Key takeaways on cross-border enforcement
During the panel discussion, brand leaders and enforcement experts shared insights into how counterfeiting tactics are evolving. Three key themes emerged:
- Cross-border counterfeiting is evolving with new tactics: Bad actors are shipping unlabeled products from origin to overseas distributors for later labeling, while some operations are shifting overseas with finished products flowing back into the home market, complicating traditional interception methods and requiring coordinated evidence collection across jurisdictions.
- Collaboration is essential for effective enforcement: As Legal Manager and Governance Lead at Xiaomi Group, Xin Wang noted: “If we find a counterfeit, we hope that it is on Amazon, because then we can quickly initiate effective enforcement actions. If other platforms could reach Amazon’s standard of collaboration, it would enable more effective joint efforts to prevent counterfeiting both online and offline.”
- Integrated evidence collection across borders is critical: Panelists discussed the importance of helping brands and authorities connect overseas sales data with domestic evidence by linking logistics, financial records, and online activity to upstream sources. Head of CCU in China, Rain Ni spoke about how information sharing has become a key focus point for Amazon’s CCU noting that this approach led to over 60 successful enforcement operations in 2024.
Industry governance and harmonization
The International Trademark Association (INTA) highlighted the importance of harmonized IP governance and public-private partnerships in combating counterfeiting. INTA shared its work promoting consistent enforcement standards, supporting customs and criminal enforcement, and raising consumer awareness globally through policy dialogues, platform-focused training programs, and practical guidance for brands expanding internationally.
From online detection to offline action
POP MART shared real-world examples of how collaboration translates into results.
Head of Overseas Legal at POP MART, Fei Lin outlined their global IP protection strategy, including close cooperation with customs authorities and retail industry leaders. “Close collaboration with Amazon has helped us identify infringement faster and take meaningful enforcement action across borders,” she said.
Looking ahead
As the conference concluded, Amazon reiterated its commitment to supporting brands through programs such as Brand Registry and Transparency, while continuing to invest in technology and enforcement capabilities.
By working together—across borders, industries, and institutions—we can continue to build a safer, more trusted store where brands can focus on innovation and growth, and customers can shop with confidence.