Marketplaces are where brand misuse costs real money: copies of your product, your photos on someone else’s listing, or your brand name in a title to borrow your search traffic. Each major marketplace runs a programme for rights owners to report this.

Three different problems

It helps to know which one you have, because each is reported differently:

  • Counterfeit products: items that pretend to be your product. This is a trademark issue.
  • Copied images or text: your product photos or descriptions on someone else’s listing. This is a copyright issue.
  • Misuse of your name: a listing that uses your brand name in the title or keywords for a product that isn’t yours. This is usually a trademark issue.

How to find them

  • Search each marketplace for your brand name, your product names and common misspellings.
  • Reverse-search your product photos to find listings that use them.
  • Watch for prices far below yours, sellers in unexpected countries, and new listings that appear right after a launch.

DrutoScan’s Brand watch searches Amazon, eBay and Walmart for listings that use your brand name and shows you new ones as they appear, so you don’t have to search by hand every week.

The rights-owner programmes

  • Amazon: Amazon’s Report Infringement form is open to rights owners, and Amazon Brand Registry gives registered trademark owners extra tools to search and report.
  • eBay: the VeRO (Verified Rights Owner) programme lets rights owners report listings that infringe their intellectual property.
  • Walmart: Walmart Marketplace has an intellectual property claim process for rights owners.

Each asks you to show that you own the right (a registration number for a trademark, or proof of authorship for a photo) and to identify each listing precisely.

A registered trademark makes everything easier. Many marketplace tools, including Amazon Brand Registry, require one. If you sell online seriously, registering your brand name in your main markets pays for itself.

What makes a report succeed

  • One listing per line, with the exact link or listing ID.
  • A clear statement of which right is infringed and how.
  • For counterfeits, evidence such as test purchases, differences from your genuine product, or sellers you have never authorised.
  • Accuracy. Reporting legitimate resellers of genuine goods can backfire.

Keep a log of every report and outcome. Repeat offenders are easier to remove when you can show a pattern.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a registered trademark to report counterfeits?

For trademark-based reports and programmes like Amazon Brand Registry, generally yes. Copyright reports for your own photos do not need a trademark.

Can I remove a seller who resells my genuine products?

Usually not just for reselling genuine goods. Reports should be about counterfeits, copied content or misleading use of your brand.