Cross-border e-commerce is “Taobao” that cannot be copied. Before entering a foreign market, consult experts or industry insiders who are familiar with the tax and tariff systems of the destination country. The main problem is intellectual property rights. In our country, the protection and attention of intellectual property rights are not enough, while foreign countries are sparing no effort and endless efforts to protect intellectual property rights. E-commerce platforms and customs are becoming more and more strict in this regard.
AliExpress’s new regulations require that in addition to trademark registration and brand filing, merchants operating jewelry must hold a material appraisal certificate recognized by an authoritative organization. In the process of transforming to “Made in China”, while maintaining cost advantages, we must also pay attention to intellectual property protection and quality safety. The losses caused by goods being deducted and fined are caught off guard and the impact is immeasurable.
When cross-border sellers finally complete the transportation and distribution of orders, in the end the issues of product quality and infringement cannot be avoided. Hot-selling drones, self-balancing vehicles, wedding dresses, etc. have all encountered trouble in customs clearance and sales in Europe and the United States due to patent and quality issues. Many sellers feel that the biggest foreign trade risk is the goods on hand.
The cost of some products is about half or less of similar products from multinational companies, and the quality is equivalent to 70% to 80%. The quality can basically meet the needs of lower-income overseas consumers. However, developed markets have a high degree of legalization in protecting consumer rights and intellectual property rights, and there is no vague concept.
Therefore, product selection must be cautious, products and procurement channels must be standardized, infringements must be avoided, and quality must be qualified. Intellectual property rights include trademark rights, patent rights and copyrights. The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights stipulates the “border measures” that customs should implement. Most of them are detention and seizure, and are not limited to “strict entry and easy exit”.
Plagiarism and trademark theft are no longer feasible. Some international brands specifically entrust law firms to defend their rights on third-party e-commerce platforms on a large scale, implicating many Chinese seller accounts, and this has become a normal practice. They are dispatched to investigate and deal with a number of seller accounts or independent websites at any time. Due to pressure from brands, the International Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance (IACC) suspended Alibaba’s membership.
In 2012, in order to deal with counterfeit and shoddy wedding dresses from China, image infringement, stolen designs, counterfeit brands, etc., the American Wedding Dress and Dress Industry Association (ABPIA) was established. Its main task is to use legal means to crack down on sales. China’s foreign trade e-commerce for these products.
In early 2016, the Chinese wedding dress industry was sued by the U.S. District Court, affecting more than 4,000 websites, including German, French, Italian, Russian and other small language websites, which were affiliated with Godaddy in the United States. All domain names have been transferred away, which is a waste of money! Other luxury goods, such as watches and jewelry, are easily counterfeited and infringed. The Swiss Watch Industry Federation holds anti-counterfeiting activities every year.
According to the European and American political systems, the three powers are separated, the court has great power, the cross-border litigation cycle is long, and the communication is not so smooth. Once “registered”, most people are at ease. It is also common that if there is a Bluetooth logo on the outer box, customs clearance problems will occur and customs will be detained; to put a safety label on the battery, prepare safety certification FCC related documents; if it is not a private brand, you need to provide a brand authorization document Once copies and fake authorizations are seized by the customs, in addition to detaining the goods, they will also be fined; false marketing infringements such as stolen pictures, incorrect goods, etc. will also be severely punished by the platform.
On Facebook, many independent websites attract consumers to buy by stealing pictures, bombarding ads, and providing pictures with PayPal and Norton safety guarantees. As a result, they are complained for not living up to their reputation, and some companies are even accused by some Instagram stars. For being a “picture predator”. Platform accounts and payment accounts such as PayPal cost money to maintain. If you violate the rules, they will either be frozen or blocked. The industry is also constantly calling for awareness of property rights and patents, proactive rights protection, etc. However, the awakening of all companies and the improvement of the entire environment do not happen overnight.