Page 32 - Forbes India (December 2015)

powerful people jack ma

founTAin of fAkES: A recent search for
Prada products on Alibaba’s Taobao online
mall turned up 27,700 items with a maximum
price set to 300 yuan ($47). This, for a
brand that sells handbags north of $1,000.
her product description, she openly about all the people, their rights.” Granted, not all are counterfeit. Plenty may
declared that the factory that made The us-first attitude is encoded in be mislabelled items or used Prada or mere
the handbag got fined for infringement Alibaba’s filings with the US Securities “inspirations”. But the seller of the $23 purse
above says in the description that it’s a replica
of Michael Kors’s intellectual & Exchange Commission. In one
property. “Taobao has its own rules,” document for its 2014 initial public
she says. “A veteran seller would offering, Alibaba insisted that “we obsessed with it. Domestically, the
know how to better avoid risks.” maintain a ‘no tolerance’ policy with easiest path for Ma is to maintain the
Zhai and Di may be crooks to the regard to counterfeit and fictitious status quo. Internationally, the most
likes of Gucci and Nissan, and millions activities”. But the next sentence prudent course is to demonstrate
of customers. But Ma’s great pride is reads: “Because many sellers doing seriousness on this issue. It’s classic
to have provided an opportunity for business on our marketplaces depend Chinese political thinking, seeking
millions of poor Chinese to start their on us for their livelihood, we have a harmonious resolution, only this
own businesses. He feels responsible generally eschewed a ‘shoot-first, time it’s among business interests.
for all those Taobao sellers—the little ask questions later’ approach to And remember the fate of the
guys—striving to lift their fortunes in handling complaints” from brands. original Ali Baba of “open sesame”
a still-poor China. And if upholding Ma is too powerful, too rich and fame. He, too, had trouble with a
intellectual property rights comes too in-demand for even the angriest band of thieves. He, too, had to deal
second, well, so be it. “It’s not white of brands to arm-twist him to change. with all sorts of divergent constitu-
and black,” Ma says. “If you just And while millions of customers encies—the greedy brother, the
say, ‘Take that down,’ it is unfair are, in theory, getting ripped off by loyal slave and the angry thieves.
for that guy [the seller]. We have to Taobao’s sellers, millions more are In the end it was Ali Baba who
also protect these guys, not only the in on the racket, getting a cheap wound up with all the gold.
branded businesses. You have to care way to project luxury in a country With reporting by Jane Ho

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32 | FORBES INDIA DECEMBER 11, 2015