TikTok said on Aug. 28 it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency (KOIPA) at IP Week in Singapore on Aug. 26 on protecting K-brands and fostering a sound e-commerce ecosystem.

The agreement covers TikTok's commerce platform TikTok Shop and Indonesia's e-commerce platform Tokopedia, which was incorporated into TikTok in 2024. The two sides plan to jointly respond to the distribution of counterfeit goods on the two platforms.

A key element is a rapid response system for reports of counterfeit goods in live commerce. TikTok will run a fast-track process that prioritises review and action on TikTok Shop live-sale products reported by KOIPA after a formal authorisation procedure.

With short-form video and live commerce, product exposure and sales happen in real time, making response speed important after counterfeit goods are discovered. TikTok will link KOIPA's reporting and response system with its existing Intellectual Property Protection Center (IPPC) and its brand protection programme, TikTok Real.

The two sides will cooperate in three areas: fast review and action on counterfeit reports on TikTok Shop and Tokopedia; sharing information on habitual counterfeit sellers and coordinated online and offline responses; and support for domestic exporters' use of the IPPC and guidance on K-brands' participation in TikTok Real.

This is not the first time TikTok has moved to address counterfeit goods with a domestic organisation. In April last year, it signed an MOU with the Korea Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights Protection Association (TIPA) to prevent counterfeit distribution during import and export stages, and has operated counterfeit inspections and a test-buy programme.

This time, TikTok expanded its partner from a private specialist group to KOIPA, a government specialist agency. By including Tokopedia as well as TikTok Shop, it also expanded the scope of its response to counterfeit goods arising during overseas e-commerce distribution of K-brands.

Sanjeev Kumar (산지브 쿠마르), head of intellectual property rights for TikTok Shop Southeast Asia, said the cooperation with KOIPA would enable faster and more systematic responses to counterfeit goods and help build an e-commerce environment in which K-brands can grow in global markets.

Shin Sang-gon (신상곤), head of KOIPA, said the partnership with TikTok would quickly block counterfeit goods arising in new distribution channels such as live broadcasts and support K-brands' global competitiveness.