Auction monitoring software brought in to stop online sales of clothing copies

Fashion retailer H&M has introduced an auction monitoring system to help fight online counterfeiting.

The software will address the high street chain's escalating concerns over loss of revenue and brand erosion due to unauthorised product sales and illegal merchandising on auction web sites.

In the past, the company has suspected its products were being sold illegally online, but did not have the tools to track down and identify the perpetrators, says Bjorn Norberg, H&M's general counsel.

'With this solution, we can automate and more efficiently uncover the profile of those responsible and take immediate action to shut down their illegal auction listings,' he said.

The MarkMonitor system automatically identifies where H&M's products are being sold on the web.

It prioritises suspected abuses, and sends out alert emails to auction web sites requesting they shut down the suspect auction.

Thanks to the new system, H&M can make better use of its internal resources and reduce time spent manually searching auctions, says Norberg .

'It will enhance the overall security of the company with in-depth monitoring of online fraud activities, and minimise revenue losses,' he said.