Knockoff complaints fall as Alibaba applies pressure

Data-driven technology, closer cooperation and joint governance put a further squeeze on counterfeiters on China's leading e-commerce platforms last year, Alibaba's annual report on intellectual property protection said.

The 2018 Alibaba Intellectual Property Protection Annual Report, the third of its kind released by the e-commerce giant, said Alibaba alerted police last year to more than 1,600 cases of online sales of knockoffs amounting to at least 50,000 yuan ($7,363), meeting the threshold for criminal penalties.

Police caught more than 1,900 suspects in the cases, which involved a total of 7.9 billion yuan, according to the report, which was released on Thursday.