How to remove counterfeits from AliExpress and Alibaba: the honest state of each route

Where do you report counterfeits on Alibaba.com, AliExpress, Taobao and Tmall?

Alibaba.com, Taobao and Tmall each have a verified IP route today, but AliExpress's is still being confirmed, so don't send your evidence to a guessed address. Alibaba.com uses ipp.alibaba.com. Taobao and Tmall share ipp.taobao.com.

The Takedown Routes Index is the live version of this table. We only list a link after opening it, and we date every check. If your copies are spread wider, the eBay VeRO guide and the Amazon reporting guide cover the other big marketplaces.

Why isn't the AliExpress route confirmed?

Because the addresses that used to cover AliExpress don't lead to an AliExpress page any more. The old Alibaba Group IPP address now opens the Taobao and Tmall portal, and an AliExpress guide to IPP redirects to the seller homepage. We'll name a route once we've opened one that works.

The Taobao and Tmall portal still carries older group-wide wording. Its instructions page says the platform covers Taobao, Tmall, Tmall.hk, 1688, AliExpress and Alibaba.com, and its footer carries a 2018 copyright date. Alibaba.com now has its own IPP. So that page tells you how things were set up, not where an AliExpress report goes today.

What we'd do in the meantime: if you sell on AliExpress yourself, check your own seller account's help and rules pages, which we can't see from outside. Collect the evidence now so you're ready to file the day the route is confirmed. And don't send identity documents to an address you found in an old forum post.

What should you prepare before you file?

Proof of identity, proof of your rights and the exact listing links. Taobao and Tmall's public instructions ask for an ID or business registration, an official trademark, copyright or patent certificate, or a Copyright Claim Statement for unregistered copyright, plus a letter of authorization if you're an agent.

Alibaba.com's own list sits behind its sign-in, so we couldn't read it. The Taobao and Tmall kit is a sensible one to have ready for any Alibaba Group marketplace. That portal also says you don't resubmit verified documents until your rights documents expire, which saves time on the second case.

Build the evidence before you file. You'll find a supplier page using your hero shot with the logo cropped out, at a price you can't match. Screenshot it with the URL in view, and save your original photo files beside it. Wholesale listings get edited, and your evidence should show what you saw.

Does a trademark registration matter on these platforms?

On Taobao and Tmall, yes, by the platform's own policy: its China domestic platforms such as Taobao accept takedown requests based on China-registered rights. Copied photos can go in as unregistered copyright with a Copyright Claim Statement. We couldn't confirm Alibaba.com's or AliExpress's current rules on their own pages.

The Taobao and Tmall IPP policy says the group accepts takedowns subject to the territorial protection of IP rights. In plain terms, a trademark complaint on Taobao needs a trademark registered in China. A US registration alone won't carry it.

The same page, in its older group-wide wording, says international platforms such as Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com accept takedowns based on international IP rights. We treat that as history until each platform's own current pages say the same. If China is a real market or a real source of copies for you, ask a trademark lawyer whether a Chinese filing is worth it before you need it.

Copyright is the easier door. The policy lists unauthorized use of a third party's copyrighted photography as an eligible complaint, and the instructions accept a Copyright Claim Statement in place of a certificate. Under US law, 17 U.S.C. 201 says copyright starts with whoever took the photos, so check your photographer's contract first. Our guide for when someone stole your product photos covers that check.

What will the IPP accept, and what won't it?

The Taobao and Tmall IPP takes trademark, copyright and patent complaints, plus deceptive practices such as blurring or covering the marks on products. It won't handle distribution contract disputes or price controls such as minimum advertised prices. Prohibited products go through the listing's own report button instead.

The policy is blunt about bad-faith reports. It says the group won't entertain takedown requests made with malicious intent, such as ones meant to disrupt a competitor, and will sanction the people who submit them. US law has its own version. Under 17 U.S.C. 512(f), knowingly and materially misrepresenting that material infringes makes you liable for damages. Confirm every listing before you report it.

A copy that's merely similar is the hard case. If it doesn't use your mark or your photos, neither a trademark nor a copyright complaint fits. The IPP does take design patent complaints, but only if you hold a patent, and whether it's infringed is a question for a lawyer.

What happens after you file a takedown request?

Per the Taobao and Tmall instructions, once a request is verified the listing comes down and the seller is notified. If the seller sends a counter-notification, it's forwarded to you for a response, and the platform may review both sides' evidence before deciding whether to reinstate the listing.

Penalties for sellers, per the IPP policy, may include product delisting, temporary selling suspensions and permanent account closure, and the group reserves the right to pursue civil and criminal action. Keep a record that ties every listing to its supplier. A supplier you've reported once is the first place to look when copies come back, and our guide to stopping repeat counterfeit sellers sets out that routine.

Answer a counter-notification with your proof of rights and the dated screenshots from day one. That's why the evidence comes first.

Should you file yourself or hand it off?

File yourself if you have a few listings and the documents ready; the IPP is built for rights owners. Hand it off if copies appear faster than you can check them, or if you'd rather someone else deal with each portal's sign-in and paperwork.

Managed services file for you. Red Points' self-serve calculator lists Alibaba.com at $15 a month and AliExpress at $240 a month for 15 AliExpress domains, on top of a $938 Brand Protection Plan and $174 a month for one trademark. Added up, both marketplaces with one trademark come to $1,367 a month, and nothing starts until both sides sign a Master Services Agreement.

Brand Protection Tools sits in between. Alibaba.com is one of the two platforms we start with, alongside Etsy. We search for copies of your products and photos, you confirm the real ones, and we prepare the notice with the evidence and the route for you to file. AliExpress is next on our list. Our plans and pricing page shows what each plan covers.