Temu, an online shopping platform, has agreed to collaborate with the greeting card industry to expedite the removal of copyrighted designs that have been replicated on its site. Card companies have reported that numerous copyrighted images have been misappropriated, resulting in significant financial losses.
Designers describe the challenge of removing their plagiarized listings as akin to the game “whack-a-mole,” with copies reappearing soon after being taken down. Temu has emphasized that safeguarding intellectual property is a primary concern and is encouraging sellers to participate in a trial of a new takedown process tailored for the greeting card sector.
Amanda Mountain, co-founder of York-based Lola Design, found that most of her original designs, developed over a decade, had been copied. She discovered her creations were being falsely marketed by other vendors on various products. After purchasing a counterfeit card featuring her design, she noticed not only the inferior quality of the materials used but also the distorted representation of her artwork.
Amanda and her partner Frank estimate that fraudulent versions of their products have generated approximately £100,000 in sales for online sellers, representing about 13% of Lola Design’s annual revenue. Beyond financial implications, Amanda mentioned the emotional toll from witnessing the misuse of her creative work and the time spent addressing these violations.
Following pressure from the Greeting Card Association (GCA), Temu has implemented a specialized process to streamline the removal of counterfeit designs. Instead of submitting individual complaints for each listing, suppliers can now send a single link that triggers the removal of all infringing items featuring that design. The GCA has noted that this system will utilize artificial intelligence to protect original designs preemptively.
Temu states that it prioritizes intellectual property protection and has invested resources to enhance trust with various stakeholders. Most removal requests are reportedly resolved within three working days, but the new trial aims to further accelerate this process. According to Amanda Fergusson, CEO of the GCA, these changes are a positive development for the industry, which is deeply concerned about copycat products and their impact on consumers.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kpg9jyn0po?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss