Yahoo Japan Corp. and DeNA Co. said Tuesday they have begun compiling voluntary regulations on the trading of illegally copied brand-name goods and counterfeit software.
The two companies, which operate online auction sites, are believed to hold a combined 80 percent or so of Japan's online auction industry.
Yahoo Japan said 0.7 percent of the 19 million items exhibited on its site each month are pirated or fake goods.
The rules will include the removal of pirated goods and their exhibitors from the trading site, educational activities for traders, and a clear indication of offices that accept complaints, they said.
The move by Yahoo Japan and DeNA, which operate the Internet and mobile-phone auction sites Mobile Auction and bidders, follows Friday's release of the government's 2005 program to promote intellectual property rights.
The program urges Internet auctioneers to establish voluntary regulations by the end of June.
The two firms said they will invite other auctioneers to join their initiative.
They also said they will ask government entities Wednesday to disclose criminal data on the trading of pirated goods at manufacturers, customs and domestic distributors, and on the number of complaints received from customers.