How eBay Protects Intellectual Property (VeRO)

eBay is committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of third parties and to providing its users with a safe place to trade. eBay created the Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) Programme so that intellectual property owners could easily report listings that infringe their rights. It is in eBay’s interest to ensure that infringing items are removed from the site, as they erode buyer and good seller trust.

If you are a Verified Rights Owner and want to report a listing issue, see Reporting Intellectual Property Infringements.

To avoid creating listings that would infringe on intellectual property rights:

• Take eBay's Tutorial on Intellectual Property Policies and VeRO.

• Read eBay's Guidelines for Creating Legally Compliant Listings.

• Review list of VeRO Programme Participant About Me pages. Many VeRO Programme participants have created an About Me page that contains information about their policies protecting their intellectual property rights.

• Do not use another member’s pictures or descriptions without their permission. For more information, see Item Description and Picture Theft.

Listings removed through VeRO

If your listing was removed through VeRO, and you believe that your listing was removed in error, eBay suggests that you first try to contact the rights owner directly (The email notifying you that your listing had been removed should have included the rights owner's email address). Only the rights owner understands their products and intellectual property rights. If the rights owner agrees that they made a mistake, have them email eBay and eBay will allow you to relist your item.

• Avoid having your listing removed through VeRO in the future. Review the list of VeRO Programme Participant About Me pages. Participants have created an About Me page that contains information designed to help you understand why they requested the removal of your listing.

• How eBay helps to ensure that listings aren’t mistakenly removed. A rights owner reporting through VeRO must be registered through VeRO before reporting items to us. Rights owners sign legally binding documents when reporting items to eBay.

• How your personal information may be released. eBay will never give out your credit card information, except in rare cases when required by a court of law, or law enforcement agency. However, eBay’s Privacy Policy states, "Further, we can (and by becoming an eBay member you authorise us to) disclose your User ID, name, street address, city, state, post code, country, phone number, email and company to eBay Verified Rights Owner Programme participants as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate, in connection with an investigation of fraud, intellectual property infringement, piracy or other activity that may expose us to legal liability or as otherwise permitted under applicable laws."

Do you understand the rights owner’s claim, understand eBay’s policies, and still believe that the rights owner made a mistake in reporting your listing? If so, please email us.