TikTok Launches New Counterfeit Detection Measures to Strengthen Platform Intellectual Property Protection
TikTok announced the launch of the TikTok Real anti-counterfeiting protection program, aimed at addressing the increasingly complex issue of counterfeit goods. The program will incorporate input from over 300 global intellectual property experts and add new detection features such as brand verification to the TikTok Shop Intellectual Property Protection Center. According to OECD data, global counterfeit trade reached $467 billion in 2025. TikTok also disclosed that in the first half of last year, it removed over 143 million violating videos and took down more than 530,000 pieces of creator content involving infringement.
TikTok recently launched a program called TikTok Real , an anti-counterfeiting protection program aimed at more effectively safeguarding the rights of sellers and consumers on the platform. The program will integrate insights from over 300 intellectual property experts worldwide to optimize the platform's strategies for counterfeit goods detection and enforcement.
According to TikTok's official introduction, the core goal of the TikTok Real program is to develop more advanced methods for identifying and handling counterfeit product listings that appear within the app. This initiative comes against the backdrop of the increasingly severe problem of counterfeit trade. In its related statement, TikTok cited a 2025 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), noting that the global counterfeit goods trade has reached $467 billion annually, posing risks to consumer safety and seriously infringing on intellectual property rights.
To protect TikTok Shop merchants, the TikTok Real program will introduce new detection features in TikTok Shop's Intellectual Property Protection Center, including a brand verification process. This process allows brands to review and verify brand authorization documents submitted by sellers, thereby reducing infringement risks at the source.
TikTok stated: "The program streamlines the entire process from Notice and Takedown (NTD) requests to infringement removal, while strengthening proactive detection capabilities and enhancing monitoring of suspicious product listings." Currently, the program covers approximately 100 brands, with more brands to be invited to join in batches.
Protecting merchants and consumers is a key consideration as TikTok continues to drive the development of its in-app shopping features. As the platform expands its e-commerce business, effectively governing potential abuse is crucial to enhancing users' shopping experience. TikTok hopes that through stricter regulation, it can gradually guide users to form the habit of completing shopping transactions within the platform.
In fact, TikTok has already invested significant efforts in intellectual property protection. According to platform disclosures, in the first half of last year, TikTok removed over 143 million videos for violating community guidelines, including provisions such as "trading, marketing, or offering counterfeit goods." Additionally, the platform removed more than 530,000 videos and live streams from TikTok Shop creators involving intellectual property infringement.
In December of last year, TikTok also launched an expanded version of its intellectual property removal request report, which summarizes the platform's cumulative actions in protecting intellectual property, providing the public with more transparent data for reference.
These efforts appear to be yielding initial results, helping to boost user trust in TikTok's in-app shopping tools, and this increased trust is gradually translating into more frequent purchasing behavior. TikTok has also recently launched improved integration solutions for merchants on third-party web platforms and initiated TikTok Shop specialized training programs for small businesses in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
It is worth noting that nearly half of U.S. consumers now use TikTok as a search engine, including for product searches. If TikTok can continue to improve its shopping environment, the commercial potential inherent in this trend will be considerable. Ensuring a safe shopping experience is precisely the fundamental reason why TikTok has made intellectual property protection a current priority.