The “Memorandum of Understanding on Protection of Intellectual Property” was signed on 3 September 2014 at Alibaba Group’s corporate campus in Hangzhou, witnessed by and Mr John Spelich, Vice President of International E-commerce Business Development at Alibaba Group and HM Consul-General, Brian Davidson from the British Consulate-General Shanghai. The signing has been coordinated to happen during the visit of a delegation of UK companies and government representatives to China led by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, UK Minister for Intellectual Property for the UK-China IP Symposium Week. The signing was followed by a roundtable between CBBC and Alibaba, at which a UK delegation met the Internet Security team from Alibaba Group to explore further ways to collaborate on intellectual property protection in the online space.

Under the MOU, Alibaba agrees to work with CBBC member companies to remove product listings subject to takedown notices from companies alleging that they infringe their intellectual property rights. CBBC will provide guidance to its member companies on how to use Alibaba’s existing IP protection and notice and takedown systems, and will cooperate closely with Alibaba’s Internet Security team, putting CBBC member companies with particular concerns directly in touch with them where appropriate.

The two organisations agreed to convene an annual roundtable, the first of which took place on 3 September 2014 following the signing of the MOU, and to work in close cooperation to review the implementation of the latter, thus ensuring that CBBC’s members and other British companies are receiving the support they require to protect their intellectual property on Alibaba’s platforms.

The progressive agreementtacklesone of the chief concerns of British companies doing business in China, as highlighted in CBBC’s 2013 Business Climate Survey. It will also be welcomed by members of CBBC and other British companies seeking to capitalise on the emergence of the Chinese consumer and the rapid rise of e-commerce in the country.

Stephen Phillips, Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council, said: “As the leading organisation helping UK companies grow and develop their business with China, CBBC is committed to making sure that British companies in all sectors are in a position to capitalise on the vast and growing opportunities in China’s e-commerce sector, safe in the knowledge that their hard-won, world-leading expertise is secure in the online marketplace.”

John Spelich, Vice President of International E-commerce Business Development at Alibaba Group,said: “We are pleased to collaborate with CBBC and British companies as part of our ongoing commitment to working with stakeholders on the protection of intellectual property rights; we firmly believe that collaborative efforts withorganisations such as CBBC, which work hand-in-hand with the government, will create significant results.”

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, UK Minister for Intellectual Property, said:“Developing new avenues for trade between the UK and China is vital to the future economic prosperity of both countries and intellectual property and the reduction of counterfeits will play an important role in our efforts to make this a reality. This historic enforcement agreement builds on the important steps that Alibaba has already taken to increase business and consumer confidence, and sets an example that I hope other businesses will follow. 

We are committed to working together with China, making it easier for companies in both countries to do business with each other, generating new jobs and growth.”