Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has agreed to cooperate with the Philippine government to eliminate counterfeit goods from online marketplaces, signing a memorandum of understanding with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
The voluntary agreement creates a direct mechanism for intellectual property rights holders to report potentially infringing listings and coordinate removals with participating operators.
Temu, which operates in more than 90 markets globally after entering the Philippines in 2023, joins regional competitors Lazada, Shopee, Zalora and TikTok Shop under the IPOPHL framework following preliminary talks in June.
How the Takedown System Works
Under the voluntary framework, rights holders submit suspected knockoffs directly to participating operators. Temu will then coordinate with the regulator and brand owners to verify complaints and take down listings.
The company enters an arrangement that already binds Lazada, Shopee, Zalora and TikTok Shop. Together, those platforms account for the vast majority of cross-border consumer marketplace volume in the Philippines.
“E-commerce platforms are a significant driver of consumer activity in the Philippines, making them important partners in protecting buyers and legitimate businesses from counterfeit goods,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General Nathaniel Arevalo said.
Screening Database and Brand Protection
Temu built out internal intellectual property controls ahead of the Manila agreement. The platform set up an IP Protection Portal in 2023 and rolled out its Brand Guardian Initiative in 2024, logging regular communication with more than 3,000 rights holders.
Its backend screening database tracks more than 15,000 brands. That system uses 47 million reference images and 9.5 million keywords to catch infringements before or after products go live.
Shifting Regulatory Pressure on Low-Cost Marketplaces
Voluntary pacts give regulators faster takedown use without tying up cases in local courts. For discount platforms relying on direct-from-factory Chinese merchants, policing millions of bargain listings is the price of keeping local market access.
Signing on brings Temu level with established Southeast Asian rivals on paper. The operational friction sits in enforcement: automatic keyword and image filters often miss rebadged consumer goods, leaving the burden of discovery on local brand owners.
Timeline Behind the Manila Agreement
Temu entered the Philippine retail market in 2023, competing directly with regional incumbents on cut-rate apparel, electronics and home goods. Talks with Manila officials gained traction in June during a World Intellectual Property Organization session on digital commerce.
The next metric to monitor is the volume of formal takedown notices brand owners file through the IPOPHL portal once Temu integrates its notice-and-takedown workflow.