Counterfeit takedown service
Counterfeit takedowns for brands whose name turns up on fakes
A counterfeit takedown service finds listings selling fakes of your products and prepares the complaint that asks the marketplace to remove them. Counterfeits are a trademark problem, so the usual route is the platform's trademark complaint, not a DMCA notice. Brand Protection Tools searches the big marketplaces for copies of your products, lets you confirm each one, and prepares the right paperwork: a trademark complaint when they use your name or logo, a copyright notice when they use your photos. Plans start at $99 a month.
Is a counterfeit a DMCA problem?
Not on its own. US law defines a counterfeit as "a spurious mark which is identical with, or substantially indistinguishable from, a registered mark" (15 U.S.C. 1127). That's trademark law. The DMCA is copyright law. It protects your photos, your descriptions and your artwork, not your brand name.
The two overlap more than you'd think. Some fake listings save themselves the trouble of a photo shoot and lift the real brand's product photos. That gives you a second route, and it needs no trademark registration.
| If the listing... | Use | You need |
|---|---|---|
| sells a fake with your brand name or logo | Trademark complaint | A trademark. Many platforms ask for the registration number. |
| sells a fake and uses your product photos | Either, often both | The trademark, the photos, or both |
| uses your photos to sell something else | Copyright (DMCA) notice | To own the photos. See the DMCA takedown service. |
| copies your design, without your name or photos | Neither of the forms we prepare | A lawyer's view on design rights or patents |
What goes in a trademark complaint?
Each platform has its own form. Ours prepares these facts, in this order, so you can copy them in:
- The mark: the name or logo, its registration number and the office that registered it.
- Your genuine products, with links to your own listings.
- The listings using the mark without authorization, grouped by seller.
- Your contact details.
- A statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorized by the owner, its agent or the law.
- A statement that the complaint is accurate and that you own the mark or are authorized to act for the owner, then your signature and the date.
Where do you report counterfeits on each marketplace?
Use the marketplace's own intellectual property route. These are the trademark routes we've checked by hand:
- Etsy: Etsy Reporting Portal
- Alibaba.com: Alibaba.com Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) platform
- AliExpress: Alibaba International IPP Platform
- Taobao and Tmall: Taobao and Tmall Group IPP platform
- Temu: Temu intellectual property protection page
- eBay: eBay Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program
- Amazon: Amazon Report Infringement form
- DHgate: DHgate IP Protection Portal
- Walmart Marketplace: Walmart IP Claim Form
Three things worth knowing before you file:
- Amazon's public Report Infringement form takes reports from rights owners who aren't enrolled in Brand Registry, but asks you to sign in first. Brand Registry itself is free and needs a pending or registered trademark.
- eBay's VeRO program is for rights owners and their authorized representatives. Everyone else uses eBay's general report button.
- On Taobao and Tmall, a trademark complaint needs rights registered in China.
The full list, with the date we last checked each route, is in the Takedown Routes Index. For Amazon step by step, see how to report a counterfeit on Amazon.
Why do counterfeits come back?
Because a takedown removes the listing it names, not the seller behind it. The same shop can relist the next day. We group every copy by seller so you can see who keeps coming back, and on the Growth and Pro plans we recheck removed listings, so a relisting lands in your review queue rather than in a customer's basket.
Platforms do act against repeat offenders. Etsy, eBay, Amazon and the Taobao and Tmall IPP all publish penalties for policy violations, though none sets a fixed number of strikes. Our guide to stopping repeat counterfeit sellers covers what to escalate to when takedowns aren't enough.
Who files the complaint?
You do. You own the mark, and the complaint is a statement you make, so the decision stays with you. Software finds the listings and sorts them by seller. You confirm each copy. We prepare the complaint with the evidence attached, and you send it through the platform's form. Some providers file on your behalf instead; our cost comparison shows who does what.
How much does a counterfeit takedown service cost?
Ours is $99, $249 or $499 a month, depending on how many products we watch and how often we search. Notices are unlimited on every plan, trademark and copyright alike. See pricing.
Questions people ask
Is a counterfeit takedown the same as a DMCA takedown?
No. A DMCA notice comes from US copyright law, so it covers copied photos, text and designs. A counterfeit is a trademark matter: a fake that uses your brand name or logo. It goes through the platform's trademark complaint. When a fake also uses your photos, you can use both, and we prepare both.
Do I need a registered trademark to report a counterfeit?
For a trademark complaint, usually. Many marketplace forms ask for the registration number. Amazon Brand Registry accepts a pending application, while Taobao and Tmall want rights registered in China. With no trademark at all, you can still report copied photos as copyright, if you own them.
What if the fake listing uses its own photos?
Then copyright won't help, because none of your photos or text was copied. It's a trademark complaint, and it rests on the listing using your mark: the name, the logo, or both.
Will the seller see my name?
On eBay, yes. eBay removes the listing without contacting the seller first, and its message to the seller includes your name and contact details. If that worries you, read each platform's policy before you file.
Can I stop fakes at the US border?
You can record a trademark registered by the USPTO with US Customs and Border Protection, which deals with imports. It costs $190 per class of goods (19 CFR 133.3). Marks on the Supplemental Register don't qualify (19 CFR 133.1).
Is this legal advice?
No. We make software that finds listings, prepares complaints and notices, and tracks them. We can't advise on your case.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1127, definitions, including "counterfeit" (Cornell LII), read 6 November 2026
- Amazon Brand Registry: requirements and FAQ
- Amazon Report Infringement form (redirects to sign-in)
- Amazon Anti-Counterfeiting policy (Seller Central)
- eBay Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program
- eBay Seller Center: intellectual property and VeRO removals
- Taobao and Tmall IPP: principles and policies
- 19 CFR 133.1, recordation of trademarks (Cornell LII)
- 19 CFR 133.3, recordation fee (Cornell LII)
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Found fakes of your products?
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