Listing deactivationIP-1 · Intellectual Property Policy
Listings must not use another party's trademark without authorization
What Etsy says
Etsy strives to respond quickly when we receive a report of intellectual property infringement that complies with our policies by removing or disabling access to the allegedly infringing material.Read Etsy's full Intellectual Property Policy
How to stay compliant
- Search your listings for any registered brand name, logo reference, or trademarked character name used in titles, descriptions, or tags without written authorization.
- Remove trademarked terms from titles and tags entirely. Do not substitute 'inspired by [Brand]' in the title — this still uses the trademark and is still risky.
- If you hold a genuine license or authorization from the rights holder, add documentation to your shop and state clearly in the listing that the item is officially licensed.
- For fan-art or inspired-by items, describe your original design without naming the source IP: use descriptive terms (colors, style, theme) instead of the brand name.
- If you received a takedown notice, do not relist the same item under a different title — Etsy tracks listing content and repeat listings escalate to account suspension.
Effort: medium · 1-4 hours
Suspended over this rule?
Generate a complete, ready-to-submit Etsy appeal for this exact violation in about 5 minutes.
Related intellectual property policy rules
- Listings must not reproduce copyrighted works without authorizationListing deactivation
- Counterfeit or unauthorized replica goods are prohibitedSuspension risk
- Fan art and derivative works based on copyrighted characters require authorizationListing deactivation
- Using a real person's name or likeness to sell products requires their permissionListing deactivation
- Repeat IP infringement notices lead to account terminationSuspension risk
- DMCA counter-notice: seller asserts good-faith belief that takedown was mistake or misidentificationListing deactivation