Alibaba fights fake university, shopping malls

People visit the stand of Alibaba during the 12th China Digital Entertainment Expo, also known as ChinaJoy 2014, in Shanghai,July 31. [Photo/IC]

HANGZHOU - Fake universities and shopping malls are among the latest to be added to the long list of knockoffs, from LV bags to Adidas sneakers, that China's e-commerce giant Alibaba is fighting.

The operator of China's largest online shopping sites Tmall and Taobao said Thursday a "Taobao university" and three "Taobao eco cities" had illegally used its name.

The "Taobao eco cities," billed as brick-and-mortar versions of the e-commerce platform, have bedecked their websites and buildings with logos such as "Working with Taobao of Alibaba" and "Follow Jack Ma (Alibaba founder) to do e-commerce," according to the Hangzhou-based company.

One project even hung banners carrying "congratulations" from Alibaba, Taobao and Ant Financial (a financial service under Alibaba) at the site.

The copycat establishments are to be found in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Linyi, Shandong province and in the province of Guizhou. Xi'an has both a training institution named "Taobao university" and an "eco city."

Alibaba and Taobao have filed lawsuits against the three "eco cities," with Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court, accusing them of breaking trademark rules and unfair competition.