Jakarta.  Indonesian technology company with the biggest marketplace platform Tokopedia, recently shared some tips for small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, on its platform to avoid breaching intellectual property rights (IPR).

Tokopedia is home to 12 million merchants. The marketplace reported that the moderation of stores that have violated the IPR have jumped by 2.5 times last year compared to 2021 figures. Since October 2022, Tokopedia has collaborated with the director general of intellectual property in protecting intellectual property (IP). The following are some tips for Tokopedia's sellers to avoid violating IPR:

1. Avoid Selling Fake or Pirated Products

Merchants should make sure of the authenticity of the product sold because selling counterfeit/pirated products violates the IPR. Merchants, especially intellectual property owners, can join the Tokopedia Brand Alliance Program to safeguard their IPR and combat product counterfeits.

In this program, merchants can review product counterfeiting reports in a dedicated dashboard, faster erasure of counterfeit products, analyze reports, and get involved in constructive IPR talks.

2. Do Not Use Pictures or Images from Other Brands Without Permission

Use an authentic picture of the product being sold or one with permission from the brand and copyright holder.

“Tokopedia has an IPR protection team who supervise IPR violations to ensure the circulating products are within the IPR regulations,” said AVP of Risk Management Tokopedia, Bagas Dhanurendra. 

3. Do Not Use Brand Names on Titles and Product Description Without Permission

This may increase trust and make buyers feel safe and comfortable when shopping. 

Tokopedia said it would continue to review its merchants, especially Official Stores to avoid IPR violations. Tokopedia's system will also block products considered violating the IPR, and mark suspected cases for further investigations. Tokopedia said its proactive measures against IPR violations have risen by almost fivefold last year compared to 2021. 

4. Report When a Violation is Found

Merchants, especially intellectual property owners, should file a report of any found violations via the IPR Report Portal. Tokopedia claimed that it had successfully handled almost 100 percent of the received IP-related reports.

5. Know The IPR Protection Regulation

Merchants can access the Seller Education Center for more information about IPR.