Intellectual Property & Counterfeit Policy

Artsy Craftsy is committed to maintaining a safe, fair, and authentic marketplace for independent makers, artists, designers, and creative businesses. This policy explains the standards sellers must follow regarding intellectual property rights, counterfeit goods, and brand protection.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in listing removal, account suspension, permanent account closure, or legal action where appropriate.

Why This Matters

Protecting intellectual property helps:

• Safeguard original creators and their work.
• Protect customers from counterfeit or misleading products.
• Maintain trust within the Artsy Craftsy marketplace.
• Ensure compliance with UK intellectual property laws.

1. What Sellers Must Do

All sellers using Artsy Craftsy must:

• Sell only original handmade products, authorised products, or products they have the legal right to sell.
• Use their own photographs, descriptions, artwork, and designs.
• Accurately represent products with truthful descriptions and images.
• Respect copyright, trademark, patent, design rights, and other intellectual property protections.
• Respond promptly to any intellectual property concerns raised by Artsy Craftsy.
• Remove or amend content immediately if requested due to a potential infringement issue.

2. What Sellers Cannot Do

The following activities are strictly prohibited:

• Copying, reproducing, or using Artsy Craftsy branding, logos, graphics, templates, website content, or designs without permission.
• Selling counterfeit, replica, imitation, or unauthorised versions of branded products.
• Uploading copyrighted images, descriptions, artwork, or content belonging to another creator without permission.
• Using trademarks, logos, brand names, celebrity images, characters, or copyrighted material without appropriate authorisation.
• Listing products that intentionally imitate or mislead customers into believing they are official products from another brand, creator, or business.
• Using Artsy Craftsy logos, seals, badges, certificates, endorsements, or branding in a way that suggests approval or affiliation where none exists.
• Distributing digital files, templates, downloads, artwork, or other content that infringes the rights of another individual or business.

3. Counterfeit Goods

Counterfeit goods are strictly prohibited on Artsy Craftsy.

A counterfeit item includes any product that:

• Uses another company's trademark without authorisation.
• Copies a protected design or product and presents it as genuine.
• Attempts to mislead buyers regarding its origin, authenticity, or creator.
• Uses branding, packaging, logos, or product names intended to imitate another business.

Any listing identified as counterfeit may be removed immediately without notice.

4. Intellectual Property Rights Covered

This policy applies to, but is not limited to:

• Copyright.
• Trademarks.
• Design Rights.
• Patents.
• Trade Dress.
• Branding and Logos.
• Digital Content and Downloads.
• Photographs and Product Images.

5. Reporting Intellectual Property Violations

If you believe your intellectual property rights have been infringed, you can report the issue through:

• Seller Support.
• The Marketplace Reporting Tool.
• The Contact Form available on the Artsy Craftsy website.

When submitting a report, please provide:

• Your name and contact details.
• The listing URL or item details.
• Screenshots where available.
• A description of the alleged infringement.
• Evidence showing ownership of the rights being claimed.

Submitting false or misleading infringement reports may result in action being taken against the reporting party.

6. Investigation Process

When a report is received, Artsy Craftsy may:

• Review the listing or content in question.
• Request further information from the seller or complainant.
• Temporarily remove or restrict the listing during the investigation.
• Require documentary proof of ownership, licensing, or authorisation.

Artsy Craftsy reserves the right to make decisions regarding listings and accounts based on the available evidence and marketplace policies.

7. Enforcement Actions

Violations of this policy may result in:

• Warning notices.
• Listing removal.
• Temporary selling restrictions.
• Temporary account suspension.
• Permanent account closure.
• Removal of all affected products.
• Cooperation with rights holders.
• Legal action where appropriate.

8. Repeated Violations

Sellers who repeatedly breach intellectual property laws or this policy may lose access to Artsy Craftsy permanently.

Repeated infringements may also be reported to relevant rights holders, payment processors, legal representatives, or regulatory authorities where necessary.

9. Stay Compliant

If you are unsure whether a product, photograph, design, logo, description, or digital file can legally be used or sold, please seek permission from the rights holder or contact Artsy Craftsy Support before listing the item.

When in doubt, do not list the product until you are certain that you have the legal right to sell it.

Questions?

If you require guidance regarding intellectual property rights, trademarks, copyright concerns, or counterfeit products, please contact Artsy Craftsy Support before publishing the listing.

Our goal is to maintain a marketplace built on originality, creativity, fairness, and respect for creators' rights.