Reporting unauthorized use of illustrations on eBay is not as difficult as it may seem. I recently succeeded in removing a product featuring my stolen art from eBay. Here's how I did it.
Initially, I attempted to report it on the listing page using the "report this item" option, but eBay completely disregarded it.
I waited for a few weeks and tried again, but I never received any responses from eBay, and all the reported listings remained. After about a month I complained on twitter and eBay support kindly sent me a link to their VeRO Program (Verified Rights Owner Program).
Basically, to report your stolen artwork you need to fill their Notice of Claimed Infringement (NOCI) form and send it to their email to vero@ebay.com. I made a few mistakes with the form, and they emailed me back asking for changes. They also asked me to fill out a new form and paste it in the email as text (not as a PDF file).
So this is what I recommend to do:
STEP1. Find unique listing numbers on eBay.
The first thing you should do is to find a unique product number for every listing that is using your art. You can use direct links as well, but I recommend using the item numbers as it's just easier to reffer to a number. If you check "about this item" section you'll see the number on the top right courner.
STEP 2. Fill in the form below.
Here is the instruction from VeRO Program support team: "To submit this NOCI, please fill out the form, paste the completed form into an email (don't attach a file), and send it to vero@ebay.com. Please note that a physical signature is not required; a typewritten signature will suffice. Please also be advised for your convenience, you may include multiple listings on one NOCI"
And here is the form itself:
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Notice of Claimed Infringement
Intellectual Property (IP) Owner Name:
Reporter Information – All required except as noted
Name and Title:
Company Name (if different than IP Owner Name):
Mailing Address:
Email Address (for communication with eBay):
Email Address (for communication with sellers):
Phone Number:
Website (optional):
Declaration
I have a good faith belief, and do solemnly and sincerely declare, that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the Intellectual Property Owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this Notice of Claimed Infringement is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am authorized to act on behalf of the Intellectual Property Owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
Signature:
Date:
Allegedly Infringing Material
Allegedly Infringing Item Number(s)/Product URL(s):
Reason Code (select only ONE from list on page 2):
Description of why you believe listing(s) infringes your rights:
Registration information and jurisdiction of applicable intellectual property right:
**Additional items and reason codes can be reported on a separate page using the format above.
Reason Codes
Trademark – item infringement
1.1 Item(s) is a counterfeit product which infringes a trademark (provide trademark registration information).
Trademark – listing content infringement
2.1 Listing(s) contains unlawful use of trademark (provide trademark registration information).
Copyright – item infringement
3.1 Software is offered for sale in violation of an enforceable license agreement (eBay will not process reports seeking
to prohibit the sale of genuine unopened software).
3.2 Item(s) is a counterfeit product which infringes a copyright.
Copyright – listing content infringement
4.1 Listing(s) contains unlawful copy of copyrighted text.
4.2 Listing(s) contains unlawful copy of a copyrighted image.
4.3 Listing(s) contains unlawful copy of copyrighted image and text.
Other infringement
5.1 Item(s) infringes a valid and enforceable patent (provide a copy of the relevant court order and the patent registration information).
5.2 Item(s) infringes a registered design right (available in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand only - provide design right registration information).
5.3 Item(s) violates a celebrity's right of publicity (available in the US only).
5.4 Listing(s) content violates a celebrity's right of publicity (available in US only).
5.5 Store name or User ID infringes on a trademark (put user ID or Store URL in ‘Item Number’ field and provide trademark registration information).
6.1 Other – please detail in “Description of why you believe listing(s) infringes your rights” field.
**Please note that eBay does not process reports to enforce selective distribution agreements, M.A.P. policies, and contractual disputes.
*******
And this is my completed form as an example:
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Notice of Claimed Infringement
Intellectual Property (IP) Owner Name: Tetiana Romanets
Reporter Information – All required except as noted
Name and Title: Ms. Tetiana Romanets
Company Name (if different than IP Owner Name):
Mailing Address: 64 *** *** UK
Email Address (for communication with eBay): tanya.riarey@gmail.com
Email Address (for communication with sellers): tanya.riarey@gmail.com
Phone Number: 073784*****
Website (optional): https://www.tanyariarey.com
Declaration
I have a good faith belief, and do solemnly and sincerely declare, that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the Intellectual Property Owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this Notice of Claimed Infringement is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am authorized to act on behalf of the Intellectual Property Owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
Signature: Tetiana Romanets
Date: 21.11.2023
Allegedly Infringing Material
Allegedly Infringing Item Number(s)/Product URL(s): 335115078689, 335115080959, 335115078857, 335115078730
Reason Code (select only ONE from list on page 2): 3.2
Description of why you believe listing(s) infringes your rights: I'm the artist and I hold the copyright to my work and have not given permission for its use in the sale of products.
*******
STEP 3. Past the form in the email and send it to vero@ebay.com.
You can also include a simple cover letter before the form, here is what I wrote:
Hello,
I'm a UK based illustrator and I would like to report the following eBay listings that are seling products with my illustrations without my consent:
eBay item number:335115078689
eBay item number:335115080959
eBay item number:335115078730
eBay item number:335115078857
The illustrations used include "Larry The Cat", "Tuxedo Cat", and "Animals Of Ukraine". You can find them on my website at https://www.tanyariarey.com
As an artist, I hold the copyright to my work and have not given permission for its use in the sale of products. This listing is using my artwork without my consent, which infringes upon my legal rights as the creator. I hope you can deactivate them. Please review the Notice of Claimed Infringement form below. Let me know if there are any errors or if you need additional information.
All the best,
Tanya
I hope my simple guide on how to remove your artwork from eBay was helpful! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. :)
Also, if you need to report your art on other websites, such as Amazon, Aliexpress etc. here is a link to an excellent Master Guide by u/refusestopoop on Reddit.