Company-news
Corsearch Intelligence on Pandabuy Fuels Anti-Counterfeiting Raid | Via Bloomberg, The Guardian, and WTR
Corsearch played a central role in taking out Pandabuy, a major counterfeit distributor in China, in an operation of unprecedented scale.
Press coverage
Bloomberg – China’s Fake-Fashion Retailers Jolted by Pandabuy Raid
The Guardian – Pandabuy: police raid ‘20 football stadiums’ worth of alleged fake goods warehouses
About the Pandabuy investigation
Pandabuy, based in Hangzhou in China, is a website operation that bridges the gap between international buyers of fake fashion items and Chinese sellers on platforms like TaoBao, which restrict international shipping. The operation enabled buyers in Europe/the US to purchase fakes and have them delivered.
Corsearch started gathering intelligence on Pandabuy when it first appeared on the radar in 2022. In Fall 2023, members of Corsearch’s Fashion and Luxury Team started to note a significant Pandabuy presence on social media platforms, especially TikTok. The team gathered data that showcased Pandabuy’s agents were directly involved with facilitating the sale of counterfeit goods. These compelling findings were presented to a Corsearch customer who commenced their own investigation and test purchases, confirming the operation as a significant threat.
Other affected brand owners also began conducting their own investigations, with this coming to the fore in November 2023. During this time, Corsearch worked closely with these brand owners and the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) of City of London Police — who passed on evidence to Chinese law enforcement.
In April 2024, Chinese authorities raided the Pandabuy head office in Hangzhou and several warehouses. Involved almost 100 law enforcement officers, the raid led to the arrest of 30 individuals and the seizure of counterfeit stock worth millions of dollars — enough to ‘fill 20 football stadiums’. This severely degraded the operation’s ability to profiteer off the intellectual property of leading fashion brands. Further raids and legal action by brand owners are now likely to follow.
“Corsearch possesses unique insights into data and intelligence that are invaluable for spotting emerging trends and subsequently developing methodologies to disrupt bad actors. This combination of industry positioning and technological expertise fueled Corsearch’s proactive stance in addressing potential illicit activities and ensuring consumer safety.”
– Joseph Cherayath, Corsearch VP of Enforcement, via World Trademark Review
