Feb 3, 2025
How to Report Copyright Infringement on Etsy for Quick Action
Imagine pouring your heart and soul into a creative project, only to discover someone has taken your hard work and posted it for sale on Etsy. This scenario happens every day and can devastate small business owners and artists alike. Luckily, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) allows you to report copyright infringement to Etsy and remove the listing to protect your intellectual property. This article will detail how to report copyright infringement on Etsy efficiently so that you can swiftly protect your original work and ensure prompt action from Etsy.
Bustem offers a copycat detection tool that helps users find unauthorized listings and take quick action. Our DMCA Takedown Google tool will help you achieve your goals by streamlining the process of reporting copyright infringement on Etsy to protect your intellectual property.
Table of Contents
What is Copyright Infringement on Etsy?
Copyright infringement refers to the unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of copyrighted work without the owner’s permission. It can include reproducing, distributing, performing, displaying, or creating derivative works from a protected work without authorization. Copyright infringement is a serious offense and can be punishable in civil and criminal courts. In the context of Etsy, copyright infringement often involves the unauthorized reproduction or sale of another seller’s designs. Sometimes, other types of intellectual property infringement claims, such as trademark infringement, exist in these cases. These shops use logos and branding similar to the original artist’s entire shop.
Understanding Your Copyright Rights as an Etsy Seller and How to Protect Your Work
The shop listings may feature product listings that attempt to replicate the design of a popular page or product created by someone else. Any original artist who is an Etsy seller is an intellectual property owner. In addition to that, an Etsy seller is also a business owner. It’s disheartening to see others profiting from your original ideas without permission. That’s why it’s essential to understand the copyright protections that apply and take action when copyright infringement occurs.
What to Look for When Verifying Copyright Infringement on Etsy
Identifying copyright infringement on Etsy can be challenging, especially when there are numerous listings and sellers. An intellectual property attorney can help you identify potential violations by monitoring the marketplace and protecting your business.
Here are some key indicators to look out for when identifying infringement issues:
Similar designs: If you come across listings that closely resemble your designs, it could be a sign of copyright infringement. Pay attention to your work’s overall concept, composition, and distinctive elements.
Identical product descriptions: Look for product descriptions that are word-for-word copies of your own. This could indicate that someone is directly copying your design and marketing materials.
Suspiciously low prices: If you notice listings that offer products that include popular designs or artwork at significantly lower prices than the original creators, it could indicate copyright infringement.
How to Detect and Prevent Copyright Infringement in Your Etsy Shop
Often, infringers try to undercut the original creator to attract buyers by offering cheap products. Remember, copyright infringement can occur in various forms, including:
Images
Text
Shop design
Product listings
Stay vigilant and regularly monitor your listings to spot any potential violations.
Why Reporting Copyright Infringement on Etsy Matters
Reporting copyright infringement on Etsy is crucial for protecting your legal rights as a copyright holder. Any claim of copyright infringement must start with a thorough clearance & review with the assistance of an intellectual property attorney. By filing reports of infringement, you protect your business and maintain the overall integrity of the Etsy marketplace.
Why Reporting Copyright Infringement on Etsy Benefits Your Business and the Community
Here are a few reasons why it’s essential to take action:
Protect your business: By reporting copyright infringement, you ensure that others cannot profit from your hard work and creativity. This protects your brand reputation, sales, and potential future earnings.
Maintain Etsy’s integrity: Etsy is built on promoting originality and creativity. By reporting copyright infringement, you uphold these values and ensure a fair and level playing field for all original artists.
Support other sellers: Reporting copyright infringement not only helps you but also supports other sellers who may be victims of the same infringement. You create a safer and more respectful environment for all Etsy sellers by taking action.
Now that you understand the importance of reporting copyright infringement on Etsy let’s examine the process step by step.
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How to Report Copyright Infringement on Etsy
Understand What Type of Copyright Infringement You Need to Report
Before you report a copyright infringement on Etsy, you'll want to pinpoint exactly what's being infringed. Copyright infringement on Etsy can come in many forms, and it's crucial to identify the type of infringement before filing your report.
Understanding the Difference Between Copyright Infringement and Other Intellectual Property Violations on Etsy
For instance, if someone uses your image without permission, this violates your copyright. Suppose they use your copyrighted image to advertise their product, also violating your copyright. In both cases, you would report the listing to Etsy for copyright infringement. Those aren’t copyright violations if someone copies your product description or the text from your About page. Instead, they fall under the “other intellectual property” category, which Etsy doesn't address under copyright policies. You can report those violations under Etsy's policies for “shop policies, descriptions, and titles” instead.
Prepare Your Etsy Copyright Infringement Report Information
Once you understand what’s being infringed, you can prepare to file your Etsy copyright report.
Here’s what information you should have ready before you file your report:
Your information: This includes your name and contact information.
The type of copyrighted work: Is it an image, a video, a digital download, or something else?
Examples of the work online: If possible, provide a link to an example of your work online.
The infringing Etsy URL: This is the listing, shop, or video violating your copyright.
The username of the infringing Etsy user: You can find this on their shop homepage.
Submitting Your Etsy Copyright Infringement Report
1. Access Etsy’s Copyright Infringement Report Page
This next part is a breeze if you’ve prepared all your information. Simply go to the reporting page at: https://www.etsy.com/legal/ip/report.
You’ll notice there are two options:
The Etsy Reporting Portal
Intellectual Property Infringement Report
The Portal is your first choice as a rights holder or authorized representative. Here, you can upload your IP types and ownership information to use across multiple reports. It’s also easy to search within the Portal for infringing sellers and listings on Etsy. You can use keywords related to your brand in Etsy’s database and then save possible intellectual property infringements in one place.
Choosing the Right Method to Report Copyright Infringement on Etsy
When you’re ready to file a report, you can select the listings and choose which IP to use. The standalone infringement report is a good option if you anticipate using the tool simultaneously. You can report IP infringements in shops, shop videos, or explore posts with a quick form. You can’t report individual listings with this option; you must use the Portal to do that. For this reason, we’ll cover the instructions for filing a report with the Portal below.
2. Fill Out The Report
To create a report in the Portal:
Add your copyright, trademark, or patent information. You only have to add this once, then you can use it in future reports.
The form will ask for more details about your intellectual property rights, including the name, description, and location of an example of the work. You’ll also add the registration number and jurisdiction of the IP.
Then, you’ll add an owner to link to the IP.
You’re ready to start a new report.
Select the Reports tab and click Create a Report.
The system automatically fills out the date, but you can add a unique title for your reference.
Choose the IP owner and IP type that applies to this report.
Select Create & Add Listings to search Etsy for infringing content. You can select listings from the search results or upload a list of URLs or listing IDs. The Listing ID is a string of numbers after “listing/” in the URL.
3. Submit The Report
After collecting infringing listings and selecting the IP they apply to, you can submit your report. You’ll get an email notification that the report was received. Etsy’s legal team will review your report submission and email you the outcome.
What Happens After You Submit Your Report?
If your infringement report follows Etsy’s policies and is deemed valid, the platform will remove the infringing listing and contact all parties. Ideally, you’ll never see a counterfeit on Etsy again! But things aren’t ever that simple. It’s essential to follow up and stay informed as your report progresses.
Following Up On Your Etsy Copyright Infringement Reports
When you sign in, you can monitor the status of all your reports in the portal. This makes it easy to track which ones have been accepted and which might need extra information. Be sure to respond to Etsy quickly if the platform requests more information. This could be the case if your supporting documentation for your IP isn’t thorough enough. Also, ensure the IP type matches the infringement you’re reporting. If you used the standalone infringement report form, you’ll have to wait for email communication. You can also contact Etsy’s customer support if more than a few days have passed. The Portal gives you more visibility than the standalone form, so keep that in mind.
Handling Disputes
Etsy follows DMCA takedown protocols and allows sellers to file counter-notices when they disagree with the IP infringement report. If you receive a counter-notice, you have 10 days to let Etsy know you’re pursuing further legal action. Otherwise, Etsy will validate the counter-notice and reinstate the content. Before submitting the report, take the time to verify whether a seller infringes on my IP so you avoid mistakes.
Handling Counter-Notices and Escalating IP Disputes
For example, Etsy sellers often make accessories for well-known products and use branded terms in descriptions. Stores selling Apple watch bands would appear in a keyword search for “Apple Watch,” but they aren’t necessarily infringing on IP. In other cases, a seller might just push back on your report even though they know you have a valid claim. This is when it’s necessary to take further action after a counter-notice. Etsy doesn’t take sides, so you must get a court order against the infringing seller.
Long-Term Protection
Etsy’s IP Portal is excellent for managing multiple reports, but manually discovering and validating infringements takes time. That’s where we come in. Bustem's brand protection platform uses a combination of automation and expert human oversight to find infringements on Etsy.
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Find and Take Down Copycats with One-click Today
E-commerce is a cutthroat business, and it’s not just competitors you must watch out for. Sure, stealing content is a sneaky tactic that underhanded online sellers use to get ahead of their rivals. But what happens when those rivals are stealing your content? Suppose you sell on Etsy, Amazon, or any other online marketplace, and you’ve noticed a copycat using your product images or stealing your ad copy and content to promote their listings. In that case, it’s time to take action.
How Bustem’s Automated Detection Works to Protect Your Store
Bustem is a robust copycat detection and removal tool for e-commerce merchants. Our platform automatically scans billions of websites to identify unauthorized use of your store’s content, including:
Images
Videos
Headlines
Text
Once we spot copycats, we streamline the entire takedown process with pre-filled DMCA forms and comprehensive case management. Built by people who know the game inside out to protect your brand assets, our service offers:
24/7 monitoring
Instant detection
Bulk takedown capabilities
With over 2 million DMCA notices filed daily and businesses losing $29B annually to content theft, we’ve made protection simple and cost-effective. Bustem helps you identify and eliminate copycats efficiently, whether dealing with competitors:
Using your product images
Copying your ad content
Stealing your copy
Get a free scan to see who’s been stealing your content. With Bustem, you can find and take down copycats with one click today.
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