Chinese fast fashion giant Temu has been appointed as a founding member of the Marketplace Advisory Council (MAC), a new program initiated by the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) to further amplify the global battle against counterfeit products.
MAC brings together some of the globe’s most influential digital marketplaces, payment systems, and luxury companies, including Amazon, Apple, Chanel, Nike, eBay, Mastercard, and Disney, to form a more concerted effort in safeguarding intellectual property rights.
Temu, which came on the scene in 2022 and rapidly gained international stature with record-low prices, also entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the IACC at the coalition’s annual conference in San Diego this May. The pact solidifies Temu’s dedication to increased cooperation on IP enforcement and deepens its involvement in combating illegal online commerce.
Bob Barchiesi, president of IACC said that this council is designed to generate real, measurable change, and Temu’s entry strengthens their ability to set new standards for cross-industry cooperation in the battle against counterfeiting.
A Temu spokesperson stated that joining this council highlights their mission to build a secure and credible online shopping experience.
Temu added that it has increased investment in intellectual property enforcement by improving seller vetting, algorithmic and human content moderation, and an optimised portal for rights holders to file reports.
The move is at a pivotal time for the platform. As much as Temu has quickly gained a global customer base, regulators now turn their attention to its operations. In October, the European Commission opened formal proceedings to decide whether Temu is in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in particular when it comes to the sale of dangerous goods and algorithmic transparency.
Topping the regulatory burden, the European Union this week suggested a US $ 2.26 blanket fee on all small packages imported to the EU—many of them from China. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič disclosed that 4.6 billion small packages were delivered into the bloc in 2024 alone, over 90 per cent of them associated with Chinese platforms such as Temu and its competitor Shein.
The plan is similar to initiatives in the United States, which is working to eliminate its long-standing de minimis loophole that permitted duty-free entry of low-value items—a process much-criticised as facilitating the influx of low-cost, unregulated merchandise.
As global pressure builds, Temu’s new partnership with anti-counterfeiting officials marks a tactical realignment to enhance compliance, brand image, and regulatory harmonisation in major markets.
