PARIS — Pandora and Amazon revealed Thursday a major win in their shared battle against counterfeiting.
Efforts to combat counterfeits on Amazon have led the two companies to uncover a sophisticated operation selling counterfeit Pandora jewelry in several European countries that could be traced back to a large-scale counterfeit network out of China.
A Shanghai court in March sentenced two sellers of counterfeit products to a combined five years in prison and “a significant fine” that was not disclosed, following a raid by Chinese law enforcement that saw the seizure of thousands of fake Pandora items, as part of an investigation that was kicked off by the Danish jewelry giant in 2020.
“This successful collaboration with Amazon shows how impactful joint efforts can be in stopping counterfeiting operations,” said Peter Ring, Pandora’s senior vice president general counsel. “By combining our global brand protection expertise with Amazon’s investigative capabilities, we supported local law enforcement in dismantling a sophisticated criminal network.”
“By partnering closely with brands like Pandora and law enforcement agencies worldwide, we’re stopping counterfeiters and holding them accountable in courts around the globe,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s counterfeit crimes unit. “Counterfeiting is one of the oldest crimes in history, and we’re tackling it with our cutting-edge proactive tools and technology.”
The use of AI-powered tools saw a 215 percent leap in detection of counterfeit products, leading to the removal of half a million webpages, social media accounts and other content advertising fake products in 2024, according to the Danish jeweler.
Some 100,000 counterfeit items were also seized globally with its support, Pandora added.
This is not the first time Amazon has found an ally in brands.
Over the years Amazon has filed a series of lawsuits against counterfeit sellers, working with Valentino, cosmetics brand KF Beauty, family travel accessory brand JL Childress and Yeti coolers.
As previously reported, a joint effort of the e-tailer and the Prada Group resulted in a counterfeit seller’s guilty plea and subsequent sentencing to three years in prison, a $25,000 fine and forfeit of all revenues gained from the sale of counterfeit goods in 2023.
In 2022, Chinese authorities raided a warehouse and seized counterfeit Salvatore Ferragamo belts thanks to efforts by the Italian luxury house and Amazon.
Amazon prohibits infringing and counterfeit products in its storefronts and, in 2020, it invested more than $700 million and employed more than 10,000 people to protect the marketplace from fraud, counterfeits and abuse.
It launched the CCU in 2020 to help hold counterfeiters accountable through the courts and law enforcement. This global team — which is made up of former federal prosecutors, former law enforcement agents, experienced investigators and data analysts — pursues targets around the globe.