K-Counterfeits Sell Out in Minutes, Prompting TikTok Live Crackdown

Counterfeit K-brand products can move from promotion to purchase within a single livestream, leaving little time for rights holders to respond. TikTok and Korea’s intellectual property protection agency are now introducing a fast-track system for reports involving fake Korean-brand goods on TikTok Shop Live.

Under the agreement, the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency will forward reports submitted through formal authorization procedures, and TikTok will give livestream-related cases top priority. The cooperation also covers Tokopedia, the Indonesian e-commerce platform. The two sides will review counterfeit-product reports quickly and share information on repeat sellers.

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In livestreams, the process from product promotion and consumer discovery to purchase takes place within a very short time.

TikTok said livestream shopping compresses advertising, product discovery and purchasing into a very short period. It told Dong-A Ilbo that this format can require a faster response than a static product listing. The company did not disclose a target processing time, such as whether cases would be handled within hours or days, or how much the fast track would reduce response times.

TikTok’s intellectual-property report for the first half of 2025 said the platform blocked more than 40 million infringing products before they were posted and removed more than 2 million after publication worldwide. The figures cover all intellectual-property violations, not only K-brands or counterfeit goods. TikTok combines automated detection, specialist review and rights-holder reports, and operates its Intellectual Property Protection Center and TikTok Real brand-protection program.

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A faster response may be required than for ordinary static product listings.

The platform said repeat violators can face stronger sanctions. Users who receive three copyright warnings or three trademark warnings may have their accounts permanently suspended. Seller verification, document checks and measures to prevent bad actors from returning are also part of the effort.

The move comes as South Korea expands direct cooperation with global platforms. Overseas online listings for counterfeit beauty products rose from 23,494 in 2024 to 36,116 last year, a 53.7% increase. Authorities blocked another 20,370 listings through June this year. The number of global platforms covered by government agreements grew from six last year to nine this year, while a reporting center for suspected fake K-brands and unauthorized trademark preemption opened on July 30.

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We expect more rapid action to become possible in situations requiring an immediate response.