On April 12, one of Kathy Ho’s followers messaged her to warn her that her sports skorts were on sale on Amazon, but what she found left her in disbelief. did.
Imagine having a video of yourself in your home featured on an Amazon product. What’s more, it has changed your face to look like someone else’s face.
That’s what happened to Cassey Ho, founder and CEO of workout wear company Popflex and fitness brand Blogilates.Ho has 2.8 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million followers on TikTok, which recently featured Taylor Swift. Wearing Ho’s patented PopFlex Pirouette Skort.
“I would say almost there. [have] There were hundreds of listings for my product on Amazon,” she told FOX News Digital.
On April 12, a follower messaged her and flagged one such fraudulent listing on Amazon, and Ho’s team immediately launched an investigation.
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Cassey Ho, founder of Blogilates and Popflex, said her video was used in an Amazon listing for a copy of her skirt and was altered to change her face, possibly using AI. (Blogrites/TikTok/Fox News)
“Then I clicked on it and was swiping through the photos of the stolen model…and a preview of my video appeared and I clicked on it. And then I saw my body with a different face. That moment was so transgressive. It felt so ‘Black Mirror’-like.”
An Amazon listing that has since been removed offered a knock-off version of the Hawes Pirouette skort for less than the retail price of the authentic Popflex skort. However, the fake Amazon listing featured Ho’s own photos and videos of the product. Photos and videos were probably modified by artificial intelligence or AI.
| ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | Amazon.com Inc. | 187.48 | -2.02 | -1.07% |
“Amazon strictly prohibits the sale of counterfeit products or products that infringe on intellectual property rights in our stores,” an Amazon spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We take proactive measures to prevent counterfeit and infringing products from being listed, and from the moment a seller lists an item, our advanced technology ensures that no future filings are made against the item. We continuously scan for potential counterfeit products, fraud, and abuse, including changes to our products. If we identify issues, we protect our customers and our brand by removing listings or blocking accounts as necessary. We will act quickly to do so.”
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Cassey Ho, founder of Blogilates and Popflex, said her video was used in an Amazon listing for a copy of her skirt and was altered to change her face, possibly using AI. (Kathy Ho/Blogilates/Fox News)
Ho speculates that Begoing, the counterfeit seller, did this to avoid detection on Amazon.
“Basically, they did a reverse deepfake of me. So they took my face and made a different face,” Ho said of the video, which was posted on Amazon’s counterfeit list. Told. “And I think the people on these lists are doing it to make it harder for copyright infringement to be detected by AI robots…because to the human eye these are two different videos. But if a face looks different to a robot’s eyes, it’s different.” That’s why they’re doing it. ”
“They reverse deepfaked me.”
Ms Ho said sellers were also “photoshopping” the models in her photos, changing their appearance slightly to avoid detection. Every time she wants a counterfeit product removed from Amazon, she has to fill out a form and wait for a response from the tech giant. This process becomes obsolete in a small team where she fights more than one fake listing per day.
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Cassey Ho is the founder and CEO of Popflex and Blogilates. She is also the head designer for her Popflex. (Kathy Ho/Blogilates/Fox News)
“Every day there, [are] Some new stuff. …We all end up finding hundreds of them, so we don’t even go looking for them anymore. [of dupes]. And I’m not just talking about Amazon. It’s all over the internet. It’s everywhere. …At least Amazon is an American platform. There’s a bit of governance involved…but it’s harder for victims of infringing crimes to have their photos removed than it is for scammers to steal and post my photos. So all your work is wasted. Dress the victim. ”
“All the work is pushed onto the victim.”
Amazon says it offers affordable alternatives to high-end products but does not infringe on the intellectual property of any particular brand, and Ho’s recent experience was similar. The technology giant uses its automated technology to look for signs of potential unauthorized use on product detail pages, such as keywords, text, and logos that are the same as or similar to registered trademarks or copyrighted material. says it scans billions of attempted changes per day.
Amazon also offers a “Brand Registry” service that allows brand owners to better manage and grow their brands on Amazon while protecting their intellectual property rights, the company said.
Much of Ho’s content on social media focuses on how she brings her designs to life from start to finish. (Kathy Ho/Blogilates)
The process of tracking down counterfeit copies of her Popflex products “takes up a lot of mental and emotional energy.” Shane, Chinese fast fashion companies It’s worth an estimated $100 billion, according to Business Insider, and cheap imitations of pirouette skirts have recently been put up for sale.
Adding to the confusion, Ho says the ducks have “disrupted” the shopping process for customers who prefer his products. While most of her followers have been helpful in pointing out and reporting fake listings, some feel entitled to buy cheaper versions of her designs and are calling her out in the comments section. openly admits that they can’t afford the product and would rather buy a counterfeit product.
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The Pirouette Skort retails for $60 on Popflex’s website, which is competitively priced compared to other popular training brands. LuluLemon sells a similar pleated workout skort for $88. Athleta sells more basic training skorts for about $50.
“This is a really weird mentality that shows how disrespectful people can be. artists and creators“Because at the end of the day, if there are no artists or original creators, who are they going to fool? They won’t even have the skirt that they think they have the right to buy,” Ho said.
Much of Ho’s content on social media focuses on how she brings her designs to life from start to finish. She shows her followers how pencil sketches become real products and takes user feedback seriously. For example, if Ms. Ho launches a new product for her Popflex and receives feedback from her followers that the pockets or waistline need changes, she often releases new versions of the product in response to customer requests. there is.
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Ho believes Amazon needs to change some of its policies to make it easier for independent designers to fight counterfeit goods and harder for sellers to list counterfeit products. She said she tried to contact the tech giant’s anti-counterfeiting division to no avail.
“I feel really hopeless,” Ho said.
