counterfeit policy regarding non-lego minifigures

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I recently listed a lot of 50 plus non-lego (lego compatible) minifigures for sale, and my sale was shut down for a counterfeit policy violation. I bought every one of these through ebay. I clearly marked them as unbranded minifigures that were not Lego but were compatible. An ebay search shows many listing for lego compatible (non-lego) minifigures, I can't see any glaring differences between those listings and my listing. Where's the line, how did I cross it? It was crystal clear in my listing that they were not Lego pieces. Any help would be appreciated. My write-up for the item is pasted below. Thanks for any feedback!

Title of listing: Star Wars Minifigures (Lego Compatible, NOT Lego): Lot of 50 plus. READ!

"THESE ARE NOT LEGO MINIFIGURES! These are lego compatible (work with lego).

What you see is what's included (minifigs, weapons, black plate stands) with the exception of the large tan base plate (the large tan baseplate is not included). These were minifigures that I bought (mostly on ebay) for myself to display. I did my best to dust them off before packing, but some may have a little dust. As these are inexpensive lego compatible pieces, some are a bit loose in there connections, but most fit snuggly together. They will come in a box, packed up in a few ziploc bags as you can see from the last picture (they will not be individually wrapped), therefore some may separate during shipping. Please note: Because these are not genuine lego, I have placed a black mark (line or dot) on the underside of many of the feet of these minifigures, I did this so I could ensure I could easily tell them apart from other genuine lego minifigures in my collection. The marks cannot be seen unless you look at the bottom of the feet. (Please note, the last picture is of previously pictured minifigures packed up, not anything additional). "

taran600

367 View listings

Posted 2 years ago·Last reply 2 years ago

4 comments

house*of*paws

Mentor2 years ago

779 View listings

Hi @taran600

Your use of the word â€™Legoâ€™ is intended to pull in buyers looking for authentic Lego products to your listing â€¦ which the Lego rights owner would have problems with.

Other listings for similar items just havenâ€™t been caught yet. Itâ€™s not that they have some secret way of being listed.

Whatever you do â€¦ DO NOT relist yours on eBay. You will surely be caught again. Iâ€™m sorry.

mr_lincoln

Mentor2 years ago

5086 View listings

Hi @taran600

Here is eBay's counterfeit policy.

Counterfeit item policy | eBay

The other non-Lego listings you can Report if you want ... or they may eventually be taken down ... or eBay may cancel them if they sell. This is not a new situation just so you know.

On a side note, on the little amount you posted you mentioned Lego 4 times ... that's like shooting up red electronic flares for the computer bots.

rock.star

·2 years ago

1080 View listings

You can not use the word Lego it is a trademark and as noted Lego is very protective of that name

dryophelia

Mentor2 years ago

already ready already9 View listings

@taran600

LEGO is very protective of their brand.

Items that are inspired by any Brand are counterfeit. Counterfeit items are illegal to sell.