Small business owners usually can’t afford to keep a high-powered law firm on retainer, but when their intellectual property has been hijacked, there are steps they can take to protect themselves, according to Alibaba.com. The B2B website, a global online marketplace for tens of thousands buyers and sellers, finds itself occasionally mediating cases where a small, creative company selling online discovers photos of its designs have been appropriated by another vendor.

Like all major online marketplaces, Alibaba.com has an established process allowing content ownersto assert their intellectual property (IP) rights. AliProtect is the platform’s IP protection system. It allows a rights owner to file a claim for an alleged IP infringement online. As soon as the claim is verified, any illegitimate listings arequicklypulled down. To lodge a complaint, click here (you do not need to be a member of Alibaba.com to complain, but you must register with AliProtect). For more information on Alibaba.com’s reporting policies and procedures, click here.

Below are tips on how users can protect their photos on the net, provided by Alibaba.com in Australia. For more information on IP protection, click here.