TikTok Shop bans over 5 million products due to property rights violations

November 3, 2024 - 4:52 PM
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TikTok logo
TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

More than 5 million products were restricted from going live on TikTok Shop due to its potential intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements, based on its first-ever IPR report.

With the use of algorithms and machine learning technologies, the platform identified and removed content that violated its IPR policies.

The report released on October 22 showed that 5,240,184 products were rejected from going live, while 497,026 products were removed from live streams from July 2023 to June 2024.

Around 800,000 live streams and videos were also taken down due to IPR violations.

The products would be restricted from the listing or taken down after live streaming if the sellers failed to provide evidence that their merchandise did not violate the policies.

Sellers would also receive violation points, depending on the severity and nature of the case, if their listed products did not adhere to the  IPR standards.

The platform took the measure to ensure the safety of both brands and consumers from counterfeit products.

Meanwhile, TikTok Shop also rejected 20.4 million product listings for failing to meet the platform standards as shown in their second safety report.

The platform also removed 124,000 restricted products from its listing and disabled the e-commerce feature of more than 500,000 creators in the first half of the year.

Two million account registrations were declined for not adhering to TikTok Shop’s listing requirements. 

Sellers needed to provide documentation of their business, such as its representatives, business type, and eligibility to operate or to be registered.

For those selling branded products, TikTok Shop requires sellers to obtain a letter of authorization from the brand owner or authorized resellers.

To safeguard the IPR of brands, owners could submit notices and takedown requests for potentially infringing products through the IP Protection Centre.

TikTok Shop Philippines also launched the #TikTokShopSmart campaign to empower safe online shopping among Filipino users.

It aimed to provide practical tips to its shoppers, especially with the high-traffic shopping events like its 11.11 Paskong Panalo Sale.

“By helping consumers identify trusted sellers and make informed choices, we’re reinforcing our commitment to creating a safe, transparent environment for all,” Franco Aligaen, marketing lead of TikTok Shop Philippines, said.

TikTok Shop is the e-commerce feature of the short-form mobile video platform TikTok. Users could purchase products from the creators and resellers on the platform.