After another Chinese government agency scolded e-commerce giant Alibaba and its eBayesque subsidiary Taobao over its mismanagement of its business and for selling or allowing bogus goods to be sold to the public, the country’s Ministry of Commerce has pledged to crack the whip on the online industry and try harder to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods.

Without naming Alibaba or any other specific selling sites, the ministry’s spokesman announced the pledge today.

“The sale of fake goods at some online stores is rampant,” ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said at a press briefing, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, saying the government, companies and consumers should work together to address the problem.

Yesterday the State Administration for Industry and Commerce criticized Alibaba in a white paper, alleging that Alibaba and Taobao allowed for products to be sold that infringe on trademarks, or are of substandard quality. The paper said the company looked the other way when fake cigarettes, alcohol and branded counterfeit bags were sold on its marketplace sites, along with weapon sales and other things the public shouldn’t be able to buy.

According to the WSJ, that paper has now been removed from the SAIC website, with a press rep saying she didn’t know why it was gone.

China to Crack Down on Sale of Fake Goods Online [Wall Street Journal]

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