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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Amazon steps up anti-counterfeit drive in India with AI and policing
As Amazon steps up its global campaign against counterfeit goods, India has emerged as a focal point in the company's enforcement strategy, reflecting both the country's rapid e-commerce growth and the operational complexities that come with it. Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), said India remains a 'critical market' for the company, highlighting the strategic importance of protecting consumers and sellers in one of its fastest-growing regions. 'Protecting customers and sellers from counterfeits is a top priority for us,' Smith told Business Standard. India ranks among the top five countries most affected by counterfeiting, with sectors such as pharmaceuticals, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), electronics, luxury goods and auto parts particularly exposed, experts say. The country's counterfeit market is valued at $12 billion to $30 billion annually, forming a significant part of the global counterfeit trade, which stood at $467 billion in 2021 and is projected to surge to $1.79 trillion by 2030. In 2024, Amazon's CCU took action against more than 150 bad actors in India, filing criminal complaints with local law enforcement authorities. These efforts form part of a broader global push, in which the company identified, seized and disposed of over 15 million counterfeit products across its marketplaces, according to Amazon's fifth annual Brand Protection Report. While the volume of counterfeit products remains significant, Amazon reports tangible progress in enforcement and deterrence. The company recorded a 35 per cent decrease in valid infringement notices submitted by brands in 2024—an important indicator of improved preventive mechanisms. Much of this progress has been attributed to Amazon's investment in automated systems that detect and block counterfeit listings before they go live. 'In part, this has been driven by a more than 250 per cent increase in the number of listing attempts our automated protections proactively blocked during this same timeframe,' Smith said. Artificial intelligence Amazon is increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to safeguard its marketplace from counterfeit products—particularly in high-growth regions like India. Smith said the company's AI-driven systems now block more than 99 per cent of infringing listings before brands even flag them. 'Globally, we continue to invest in AI and we have improved our controls, automating and scaling our intellectual property protection and counterfeit detection systems,' Smith said. These systems operate across key touchpoints—from account registration to listing updates. The company is using tools such as computer vision and large language models to detect complex intellectual property violations, including manipulated logos and visual patterns. According to Smith, these technologies allow Amazon to 'stay ahead of new and emerging bad actor tactics,' enabling scalable protection and reducing reliance on manual review. In India, where listing volumes are vast and dynamic, such automation plays a crucial role in maintaining platform integrity. Law enforcement In India, Amazon is deepening its partnerships with law enforcement, including state cybercrime units, to combat online counterfeit sales and educate consumers on safe shopping practices. 'Amazon partners with Indian law enforcement agencies, including state police cybercrime units, to educate consumers about safe online shopping practices and help identify bad actors,' said Smith. The company also collaborates with industry bodies such as FICCI Cascade and the India SME Forum to run capacity-building workshops nationwide. Marking five years of the CCU, Smith emphasised ongoing collaboration with brands and authorities to seize counterfeit goods and prosecute offenders. Amazon is also strengthening its seller verification protocols in India as part of its broader strategy to safeguard the marketplace from counterfeit activity. 'We make it straightforward for businesses to set up a selling account, but very difficult for bad actors to do so,' Smith said. The company monitors seller activity, verifies identities using government-issued IDs and analyses behavioural data to flag risk indicators. As India's digital economy expands, Smith said Amazon is working closely with start-ups and small businesses to help protect their intellectual property. Tools such as Brand Registry and IP Accelerator offer scalable solutions to secure rights and manage listings. Smith said programmes such as Project Zero and Transparency further empower brands to remove counterfeits and authenticate products. For instance, Amazon's Transparency programme, which authenticated over 2.5 billion product units globally in 2024, is gaining traction among Indian brands. The programme now includes more than 88,000 brands worldwide, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Such initiatives, Smith noted, are helping brands build consumer trust while strengthening defences against counterfeiting across retail channels.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitsubishi Electric to Conduct Demonstration Using CO2 Capture Machine Developed by ITRI in Taiwan
Highly efficient CO2 capture expected to contribute to comprehensive CCU system for achieving carbon neutrality. TOKYO, June 09, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it will launch a demonstration of technology to capture CO2 from flue gas, using a CO2 capture machine developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan and installed at Mitsubishi Electric's Advanced Technology R&D Center in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture on June 9. The demonstration will last until September 2027. In April 2024, Mitsubishi Electric and ITRI concluded a basic agreement to cooperate on research targeting sustainability technologies. Since then, they have been engaged in research and development aimed at mitigating climate change through carbon dioxide capture and utilization (CCU) technology. CCU separates and captures CO2 emitted from power plants and factories and then uses the recovered CO2 to produce fuel and chemical products. In the demonstration, Mitsubishi Electric will connect the machine to a steam-generating boiler to test its effectiveness in capturing CO2 contained in boiler's flue gas. The machine uses a solid adsorption method, whereby CO2 is adsorbed onto a solid adsorbent, which is then heated to release and recover the CO2 before CO2 reduction and other processes. Conventionally, CO2 from flue gas has been captured using liquid absorption. In this method, CO2 is absorbed by an aqueous solution of amine, a chemical substance mainly composed of nitrogen atoms that can absorb CO2 and release it when heated or decompressed. However, this method requires a large amount of energy to evaporate the aqueous solution, resulting in energy loss. The new solid adsorption method does not use this evaporation process, thereby reducing the energy required to capture CO2. For the full text, please visit: View source version on Contacts Customer Inquiries Advanced Technology R&D CenterMitsubishi Electric CorporationFax: + Media Inquiries Takeyoshi KomatsuPublic Relations DivisionMitsubishi Electric CorporationTel: + Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Big fan': Braves legend Chipper Jones lauds Coastal Carolina baseball coach
The Coastal Carolina University baseball team, and its current run toward the College World Series, has caught the eye of an Atlanta Braves legend. Chipper Jones, the switch-hitting third baseman who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, praised the team and its coach Tuesday in a social media post that was critical of other teams vying for playoff spots. Advertisement 'Spent quite a bit of time watching college baseball this weekend,' Jones wrote on 'I will only watch a select few teams from here on out. Reason? They have coaches that respect the game and their opponents and demand the same of their players. Any team that doesn't wear the uni correctly, taunts the other team, and has a coach that condones this behavior, is a disgrace to the game. 'Big fan of coach Schnall at Coastal Carolina! Him and his team represent what college baseball should be like. Well done, sir! U stand for proper behavior.' Kevin Schnall, in his first year as CCU head coach, made headlines this week criticizing the actions of University of Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who was caught on video berating staff at the NCAA Regionals in Conway this past weekend. Advertisement 'I have to say this, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to or not, but I believe in standing up to for what's right, and what transpired this morning on our field, another coach disrespected our associate AD, who works as hard as anybody in our entire program, he disrespected our field crew, who are the salt of the earth, these guys would do anything for our program, it's not okay,' Schnall said. 'And this needs to be brought up. Absolutely disrespectful.' O'Sullivan has since issued a statement apologizing for his behavior. CCU advanced out of the region that included Florida, East Carolina University and Fairfield University. They will play Auburn University beginning Friday in a best-of-three series to determine which team advances to the College World Series.
NDTV
02-06-2025
- NDTV
Posed As Income Tax Officers, 3 Men Dupe Navi Mumbai Woman Of Rs 1.8 Crore
Thane: Police in Navi Mumbai have busted an interstate gang involved in digital arrest frauds, arresting three individuals who allegedly cheated people by posing as government officials and coercing them into transferring large sums of money, officials said on Thursday. The trio, identified as Ramesh Babulal Seth (45), Amish Deepak Tulsidas Shah (42) -- both residents of Mumbai -- and Ahmedabad native Rajkumar Gelaram Narang (55), was arrested by the Central Crime Unit (CCU) of the Navi Mumbai police, an official release said. While Seth and Shah were sent to jail by a local court, Narang is in police custody till May 30, it said. According to the release, the trio employed a sophisticated modus operandi, using "fake letter heads of the Income Tax department, CBI, ED, and the Supreme court." They would "pose as officials of these organisations and showed the fake letters from them to the victims and put them in digital arrest and extracted monies from them," according to police. Digital arrest is an online scam where fraudsters, impersonating law enforcement agencies, threaten people with arrest via video calls and coerce them into transferring money in bank accounts provided by them. The gang was identified while police were probing a high-profile cyber fraud reported between January and February 2025 when a female doctor was subjected to digital arrest and duped of nearly Rs 2 crore. "The fraudsters claimed they were from the Income Tax department, and told her she had evaded taxes and she had a company in Vazipur, New Delhi. They further told her an amount of Rs 8,62,30 was due from her and a complaint had been made in writing with the Delhi police," said the release. The scammers sent fake letters purported to be and on the letter heads of government agencies on her WhatsApp. Driven by fear, the victim transferred Rs 1,81,72,667, which comprised money kept in bank and those in other investments, into 6 bank accounts provided by the thugs, police said. After realizing she has been cheated, the doctor filed a police complaint. An FIR was subsequently filed with the Cyber Police Station on February 17 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. To crack the case, three different police teams were formed and they carried out a search and arrested the trio, said the release. "The investigation revealed the arrested individuals, along with wanted accomplices, entered into a criminal conspiracy and formed an organised crime syndicate and formed bogus companies for cheating," it said. Explaining the modus operandi, the release said, "The accused took galas (shops) on rent and set up bogus companies and opened different bank accounts in their name. They obtained internet banking facilities and other items like debit cards and mobile SIM cards. The scammers made online calls, put victims under digital arrest and cheated them." Police said Rs 1,13,5,00 in cash, one laptop, 18 mobile phones, 18 cheque books, 32 debit cards, 33 cheques, 27 SIM cards, two bank passbooks, rubber stamps of 10 bogus companies, documents relating to opening of bank accounts of 10 firms were recovered from them. The arrested individuals have prior criminal records, they added.
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Pune dowry death: Child welfare committee says maternal grandmother fit person to take care of Vaishnavi's child
Following the tragic death of Vaishnavi Hagawane, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has named her mother, Swati Kaspate, as a 'fit person' to take care of and protect Vaishnavi's nine-month-old son, Janak Hagawane. The decision was taken on Friday, after a thorough assessment by the district child protection officer, who submitted a social investigation report to the CWC, said officials. On 16 May, Vaishnavi Hagawane allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Bhukum in Pune, following harassment from her in-laws over dowry demands. Her husband Shashank, father-in-law Rajendra, mother-in-law Lata, sister-in-law Karishma, and brother-in-law Sushil were later arrested by police. At the time of the arrest, the Hagawane family gave the child's custody to their family friend Nitin Chavan. However, Chavan allegedly threatened the parents of Viashnavi at gunpoint when they went to take custody of the child. He was arrested on Friday from the Nepal border. Aditi Tatkare, minister for women and child development in her X post, said, 'Following the demise of Vaishnavi Hagawane from Pune, the Child Welfare Committee has appointed her mother, Swati Kaspate, as the fit person to take care of her nine-month-old son, Janak Hagawane. Based on the social investigation report submitted by the district child protection officer, Swati is deemed the appropriate person, and her social, emotional, and family environment is conducive to the child's welfare. The complete responsibility for the child's education, health, and overall development will rest with Swati.' Jitendra Dudi, Pune district collector, said, 'The order was passed based on a social investigation report submitted by the district child protection officer after proper investigation and home visits.'' According to CWC member Prakash Khadilkar as per section 52(1) of the Juvenile Justice Act and sub-rule 13 of the Maharashtra Juvenile Justice Rules 2018, if the biological mother and father are not present then CWC can appoint a fit person to take care of the child or admit him/her to Child Care Unit (CCU). 'The child is just nine months old. So the temporary custody of the child was given to his grandmother subject to the pending enquiry,' said Khadilkar. According to Khadilkar, a fit person is announced for a period of four months. After four months, the child needs to be produced before CWC. If CWC is satisfied, then we can extend custody to four more months. If required, CWC can ask the district child protection officer to prepare an individual care plan for the child. As far as this case is concerned, in future, if the biological father of the child seeks custody of the child, in that case, the case will be transferred to the family court, said officials.
