Google in massive anti-counterfeiting move: shuts 50,000 accounts

In a March 15 blog, Google announced a new anti-counterfeit campaign targeting those purveying fakes in Google ads.  Kent Walker, company General Counsel, also revealed that 50,000 Google Adwords accounts had been shut down in the last six months of 2010 alone for sales of counterfeit products. 

The anti-counterfeiting measures include a new center for reporting counterfeits, and could lay the groundwork by victimized businesses to take further actions.  The need for product authentication would loom large in any such actions.

Walker’s announcement follows a U.S. government report labeling China’s largest search engine, Baidu, and thirty-two other web sites “"notorious markets" linked to sales of pirated and fake goods.”  And it comes on the heels of a February warning by the Paris-based  International Chamber of Commerce that the growth of counterfeit goods has become “alarming,” citing the internet as the major driver in the near future.

The Google campaign was described this way by Walker:

• “We’ll act on reliable AdWords counterfeit complaints within 24 hours. In 2009, we announced a new complaint form to make it fast and easy for brand owners to notify us of misuse. For brand owners who use this form responsibly, we’ll reduce our average response time to 24 hours or less.
• “We will improve our AdSense anti-counterfeit reviews. We have always prohibited our AdSense partners from placing Google ads on sites that include or link to sales of counterfeit goods. We will work more closely with brand owners to identify infringers and, when appropriate, expel them from the AdSense programme.
• “We’ve introduced a new help center page for reporting counterfeits. That way, we aim to make it easier for users and brand owners to find forms to report abuse.”