Today Meta and Christian Louboutin filed a joint lawsuit against an individual running a counterfeiting operation from Mexico. The defendant was using digital platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, to promote the sale of counterfeit Christian Louboutin products.
The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, claims the defendant violated Meta’s Terms of Service and Instagram’s Terms of Use and infringed Christian Louboutin’s intellectual property rights by using Facebook and Instagram accounts to promote the sale of counterfeit goods. Our policies and Terms prohibit IP infringement, including the sale or promotion of counterfeit products. Consistent with this, we have taken multiple enforcement actions against the defendant’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp accounts.
We have implemented robust IP protection measures across our technologies, including proactive detection and enforcement, a global notice-and-takedown program and policies to suspend repeat infringers. In addition, we provide businesses with tools to report IP violations and prevent harm via Brand Rights Protection, Rights Manager and the Intellectual Property Reporting API. Our global team of trained professionals provides around-the-clock coverage removing infringing content in multiple languages. In the second half of 2022, we removed more than 1.7 million pieces of content on Facebook and Instagram in response to more than 180,000 counterfeit reports, and more than 115 million pieces of content before it was reported to us by a rights holder.
We continue to work to ensure Meta’s platforms are safe for people and businesses to connect, share and buy and sell together. This lawsuit is a clear signal to those who would seek to engage in similar abuses that this behavior will not be tolerated. Meta and Christian Louboutin plan to continue their enforcement efforts against counterfeiting and hold those who abuse our policies accountable.
We also remain committed to offering businesses product solutions and resources to protect their brands, and we also know that cross-industry collaboration is a critical part of tackling counterfeits on our platforms. We partner with stakeholders across industries to gain insights that enhance our brand protection measures and help us develop better tools to keep people and businesses safe.