From Kickoff to Takedown: Platform-Based Brand Protection During FIFA World Cup 26™

FIFA World Cup 26™ will generate unprecedented global attention – and unprecedented opportunities for counterfeiters, unauthorized sellers and other bad actors. As consumer demand surges, infringing products can appear and spread across online marketplaces instantaneously.

For brand owners, protecting brand equity during high-visibility events requires more than trademark registrations. It requires a platform-specific enforcement strategy. Major marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay and Alibaba, each offer tools that allow rights holders to detect, report and remove infringing listings, but the procedures, capabilities and levels of automation vary significantly.

Amazon Brand Registry: Proactive and Technology-Driven

Amazon Brand Registry combines proactive detection, rapid takedowns and product authentication.

At its core is the Report a Violation (RAV) tool, which enables rights holders to search listings (by keyword, image or ASIN), identify potential IP infringement, and submit structured takedown requests. Amazon also offers several proactive enforcement tools:

• AI-driven protections that identify and suppress suspicious listings using brand-provided data
• Project Zero, which allows qualifying brands to remove counterfeit listings directly without Amazon review
• Transparency, a serialization program that authenticates individual products and blocks counterfeits before sale

Brand Registry also provides dashboards and reporting tools that help identify repeat offenders, track enforcement activity and uncover infringement patterns.

For brands preparing for FIFA World Cup 26™, Amazon’s platform rewards advance preparation. Well-organized enforcement workflows can shift efforts from reactive takedowns to proactive suppression before infringing listings gain momentum and counterfeiters exploit spikes in search traffic and consumer urgency.

eBay’s VeRO Program: Rights Holder-Led Enforcement

eBay’s Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program operates as a notice-and-takedown system. Rights holders submit a Notice of Claimed Infringement (NOCI) alleging trademark, copyright, patent or other IP violations. Once validated, eBay removes the listing and may impose escalating penalties on repeat offenders.

Key VeRO features include:

• A centralized reporting and tracking portal across listings and brands
• Participant profiles that allow rights holders to publish IP guidance to educate sellers and reduce inadvertent violations
• Direct communication channels between rights holders and sellers following takedowns

A distinguishing feature of eBay’s model is its transparency and direct communication. Sellers are typically provided with the rights holder’s contact information following a takedown, creating a more open, notice-and-resolution framework than other platforms.

Because VeRO is largely reactive, it is most effective when paired with active monitoring and rapid reporting workflows. During major events such as FIFA World Cup 26™, brands should be prepared to scale enforcement efforts, prioritize high-risk listings and maintain ready-to-submit evidence to address the rapid reappearance of infringing content.

Alibaba IPP: Cross-Border Enforcement at Scale

Alibaba IP Protection Platform (IPP) provides a centralized enforcement portal across its marketplace ecosystem, including Taobao, Tmall, AliExpress, Lazada and Alibaba.com.

After registering and verifying IP rights, rights holders can submit takedown requests through a single portal by providing listing URLs and supporting evidence. Some advantages include:

• Reusable verified IP rights that streamline repeat submissions
• Centralized management of high-volume enforcement activity
• Coordinated enforcement across multiple jurisdictions and storefronts

Alibaba recently introduced BrandSafe, a program designed to incorporate brand-specific information – such as product images, design elements and creative assets – into its detection systems to proactively identify infringing listings before they gain traction in the marketplace.

Because Alibaba’s platforms frequently serve as upstream sources for infringing goods, IPP can be part of a global enforcement strategy to prevent broader distribution.

6 Key Practice Pointers

1. Treat Platform Enrollment as Baseline Infrastructure

• Ensure active enrollment in Amazon Brand Registry, eBay VeRO, Alibaba IPP and other online platform enforcement programs before major events.
• Confirm that trademark registrations, copyright ownership and other IP rights are properly documented and linked to platform accounts.

2. Build Dual-Track Enforcement Theories

• Evaluate every listing for trademark and copyright infringement.
• Copyright claims, particularly for product images and marketing content, can offer faster, clearer takedown pathways on platforms such as eBay.

3. Move from Reactive to Proactive Monitoring

• Monitor key SKUs and high-risk categories regularly.
• Use platform dashboards and analytics to identify repeat offenders and emerging infringing trends.

4. Leverage Platform-Specific Strengths

• Amazon: Use Project Zero for rapid counterfeit removal where eligible and Transparency for high-risk product lines.
• eBay: Rapid NOCI submissions via VeRO provide direct communication with sellers.
• Alibaba: Apply centralized cross-border takedowns and repeat enforcement through IPP.

5. Expect Repeat Offenders

• Assume bad actors will return under new listings or accounts.
• Maintain evidence libraries and repeat-enforcement workflows to accelerate future takedowns.

6. Integrate Marketplace Enforcement into Broader Brand Protection Efforts

• Escalate persistent infringement through customs actions, domain enforcement or litigation, where appropriate.
• Coordinate online marketplace enforcement with distribution controls and authorized reseller programs.

Final Takeaway

No online marketplace offers a complete solution to infringement. Even as platforms deploy increasingly sophisticated AI and automation, effective enforcement still depends heavily on rights holder participation. During high-profile events such as FIFA World Cup 26™, brands that invest in proactive monitoring, rapid response protocols and platform-specific enforcement strategies will be best positioned to protect their brands when visibility – and infringement risk – are at their highest.