Kering and Alibaba agree to cooperate on intellectual property protection

French luxury group Kering, and Alibaba Group and its affiliate Ant Financial Services have agreed to cooperate in their efforts to protect intellectual property and “take joint enforcement actions online and offline against infringers”.

In a statement issued yesterday (3 August), Alibaba said: “The new partnership represents a milestone in both parties’ investment and efforts to protect brands’ intellectual property rights. The companies have established a joint task force with the purpose of collaborating fully, exchanging useful information, and working closely with law enforcement bodies to take appropriate action against infringers of Kering’s brands identified with Alibaba’s advanced technology capabilities.”

The statement also included this important sentence: “As part of the agreement, Kering has agreed to dismiss the lawsuit filed against Alibaba and Alipay, an Ant Financial subsidiary, in the US district court in New York.”