Korea Intellectual Property Office targets online counterfeits with AI screening

The Korea Intellectual Property Office said Monday it will join with trademark holders and online marketplaces from Oct. 12 through the end of the year to block counterfeit goods that threaten consumer health and safety, using artificial intelligence to flag suspect listings and brand owners to confirm authenticity.

In the first phase, running from Oct. 12 to Oct. 30, the office will concentrate on 35 trademarks spanning cosmetics, health supplements, infant and children's products, and cleaning products, collecting information from 15 online marketplaces including open markets and social media platforms. Suspect listings are identified by AI, and products may be purchased for inspection, with trademark holders then determining whether an item is genuine; confirmed counterfeits are blocked from sale.

The office said the combination of AI detection and brand-owner expertise is intended to identify counterfeits more accurately and quickly.

From November through the end of the year, monitoring shifts to a standing system timed to the overseas direct-purchase peak around Black Friday and Boxing Day, covering clothing, fashion accessories and shoes. AI collection will be supported by 85 remote information collectors and specialists from the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, and during major discount periods collection will continue on holidays and at night.

Information on seized counterfeits is shared with the Korea Customs Service, the Korea Communications Standards Commission and other agencies and with trademark holders so shipments can be stopped at customs, and access to sites selling counterfeits can be blocked.

"As counterfeiting methods grow more sophisticated, it is important to closely link the public and private sectors' detection, authentication and blocking capabilities," said Park Jin-hwan, director-general of the office's intellectual property dispute response bureau. "We will swiftly find and block counterfeit goods that threaten consumers' health and safety."

The remote monitoring team recruits people with limited access to employment, including women who have left the workforce and people with disabilities.