Listings that use brand names, logos, characters or a celebrity's name or face get removed because the rights owner can report them to Etsy, and Etsy takes down reported content that meets its policy. The reliable way to avoid it is to sell designs whose words and images you created yourself, and to keep other people's brands out of your artwork, titles and tags.
This matters to every print on demand seller, because the whole shop is built on designs. One removed listing is an annoyance, but repeated reports can put the account at risk. This article explains the general picture in plain language. It is not legal advice: for a question about a specific design, read Etsy's help pages or speak to a qualified intellectual property lawyer.
Trademark and copyright in plain terms
A trademark is a name, logo, slogan or symbol that tells buyers who a product comes from. Brand names, sports team names and logos, and the titles of many films and games work as trademarks. Copyright protects creative work: drawings, photos, written text, characters and song lyrics. Etsy notes that "copyright protection automatically exists from the moment a work that can be protected by copyright is created" (Etsy on copyright), so a drawing or a text does not need a registration or a symbol to be protected.
A popular character is often covered by both: the drawing by copyright, the name by trademark. That is why "I drew it myself" does not settle the question when the character belongs to someone else. Etsy's intellectual property policy covers "allegations of intellectual property infringement, including copyright, trademark, and patent infringement" (Etsy IP policy overview).
How a listing gets removed
Etsy does not decide infringement questions itself. Its overview says Etsy "is unable to make legal determinations on infringement allegations or take sides in these matters" (same page). Instead, the rights owner, or someone authorised by them, files a report through Etsy's Reporting Portal. If the report complies with Etsy's policies, Etsy removes the reported content and notifies the members affected.
For the seller, that means three things (Etsy on removed listings):
You receive an email with the contact details of the party who filed the report.
Etsy asks: "Do not create additional listings for this content unless the issue is resolved with the other party."
"Repeat reports of infringement may result in the loss of account privileges."
Etsy can also remove listings under its Creativity Standards, Prohibited Items Policy and Sanctions Policy (Etsy listing removals), and some removals can be appealed from the Policy violations page (Etsy updates). Even your shop name must not infringe a trademark (Etsy shop setup).
What usually causes trouble
| In the design | Why it is risky | An original direction instead |
|---|---|---|
| A brand name or logo | It identifies another company's products | Design around the hobby, feeling or occasion instead of the brand |
| A film, cartoon or game character | The drawing and the name usually belong to the studio | Create your own character in a style you choose |
| A sports team name, logo or mascot | Team identity works as a brand | Celebrate the sport, the position or the fan's role in your own words |
| A real person's name, face or catchphrase | It trades on someone else's identity | Write your own line for the same audience |
| Song lyrics, film quotes or book lines | The text is someone else's creative work | Write a phrase of your own |
| A redraw of another seller's design | The original is still their work | Start from your own idea, not from a listing |
Fan art and parody come up often. Whether a particular piece is allowed depends on the law where you sell and on the details of the case, not on a general rule, so we advise against building a shop on them.
Titles and tags count too
A design can be original while the listing around it is not. Putting a brand or character name in the title, tags or description to catch searches for that name ties your listing to the brand. Keep those names out of the copy, the same way you keep them out of the artwork, and describe what your design actually is: the theme, the style, the occasion and who it is for.
Short phrases need a moment of care as well. Some slogans that sound generic are registered as trademarks for clothing. Before you build a collection around one slogan, search the public trademark database of the country where your buyers are, such as the USPTO trademark search for the United States.
How to keep your designs original
Start from a buyer and a moment, not from a brand: a new teacher, a dog owner, a family reunion, a baby's first Christmas.
Write your own phrases. A line you wrote also gives your listing words that are not shared with many other shops.
Check the licences of everything you build with. Fonts and mockups have licences of their own, see font licences for commercial print on demand use and mockup licences.
If you use AI, describe your own concept, not a named character or brand. On Etsy, "Seller-prompted AI creations must disclose the use of AI" (Etsy item categories). Our guide on selling AI-generated art on Etsy covers the rest.
Keep your working files. They show what you made and when you made it.
Original design is also the condition print on demand rests on. Etsy allows production partners, including print on demand services, "as long as the items being sold are the seller's original design (or the buyer's customization)" (Etsy on print on demand).
If one of your listings is removed
Read the email first and note who filed the report. Do not relist the same content. If you believe the report is mistaken, contact the rights owner, or consult an attorney if you are unsure, since "As a venue, Etsy isn't in a position to offer legal advice" (Etsy item categories). Then go through the rest of your shop for listings with the same problem and fix them before anyone has to report them.
How Alomations helps you start from your own ideas
The Alomations style library has 90 looks, grouped by family with sample images. You pick a look and fill in the blanks (your phrase, your subject, the occasion) without writing a prompt, so the idea and the words come from you from the first step. Some looks return the artwork and the lettering as separate layers, so you can change a headline without touching the picture, which makes it easy to try several original phrasings of one idea. Our article on the style library and its 90 looks shows how it works, and the features page lists the other design tools.
The style library helps you make original artwork, but checking that a phrase or image is free to use stays your job, so the habits above apply to everything you list.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a brand name if I add "not affiliated" or "inspired by"?
We advise against it. A disclaimer does not change who owns the brand, and the rights owner can still report the listing. Build the design around your own words instead.
Is a common phrase safe to print on a shirt?
Often, but not always, because some short phrases are registered for clothing. Search the trademark database of the country you sell to before you build a collection around one slogan.
What happens after several infringement reports?
Etsy says repeat reports of infringement may result in the loss of account privileges. Remove similar listings yourself before they are reported.
Can Etsy tell me whether my design infringes?
No. Etsy says it is unable to make legal determinations on infringement allegations. For a specific case, speak to a qualified professional.
When you are ready to turn your own ideas into listings, you can start on the free plan.