Alibaba’s Jack Ma Wants Serious Jail Time for Counterfeiters

Billionaire Alibaba-founder Jack Ma wants China’s top lawmakers to come down harder on fake goods—the very same plea voiced by global brands that have accused the e-commerce service of harboring knock-offs.

The Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. chairman appealed to the National People’s Congress convening in Beijing this week to penalize counterfeiters as harshly as drunk drivers. In an open letter published on his Weibo account March 6, Ma said enforcement had been too lax and the authorities should raise maximum prison sentences and other penalties to deter illegal profiteers.

The unusual public entreaty follows persistent criticism that Ma and his ...