VERO Stikes Again! Isn't it amazing. Do You ever really own anything you purchase? the Vero Laws have made selling secondhand products difficult. I understand that Someone that owns the Rights to Photos or items doesn't want them hi-jacked and produced for sale without Licensing but once they are made and, in the marketplace, then it's a grey area. Intellectual Property Rights well just all it "IPR' here.
Here is One of probably Fifty Instances of VERO I can tell you that happened to us over the years.
I used to be in the Music Business and Collected Shirts from various Concerts and Buttons over the years. You Should get some basic knowledge of the VERO laws if You're going to be selling here or any online Platform, We get eBay Listing taken down Several Times a Year with follow up Messages saying you can't sell them Contact the Owner of the "IPR" per VERO Policy. And it is always the same thing we purchased it legitimately why can't we sell it when we are tired of it. We didn't rent it with a promise never to sell or get rid of its ours. Why in the World would a Owner of IPR ever sell them in the first place to someone and not allow them to ever get rid of it? unfortunately the VERO policies on here makes that all possible.
eBay doesn't have the time or staff to verify all the complaints they get from Supposed Intellectual Property Right owners, so their Solution is just to take the items You Own down, and let you Resolve it. so, they don't have to deal with it.
One particular case I will site was some Photo buttons of Eddie Van Halen, had gotten them during the 70's Cal Jam Concerts. I'm getting old and gave everything I own to self-fund a Christian Childrens Ministry we run. So decided better to try and get some money for the kids than thrown them away. Well, we listed over 20 buttons. after a week or so eBay started taking them off telling us to contact the Vero owner.
Here is where it gets good. Turns out I knew that owner. from years back when I was in that business. eBay then takes the rest off at one time. Now they are claiming I had 20 instances and suspends us from selling for 30 days because of multiple violations (really only one time listing the lot) SO, I call the owner and go over old-time memories, and He tells me that "Everyday he wakes up and goes through all eBay listings and anything from that time" he messages eBay Claiming the Intellectual property (Photos) belong to him (Even though we purchased them from a Vendor at the Concert) He had obviously licensed to them to sell to this large Promotional items Company in Canada. He even called and Messaged eBay to not suspend me as he knew me. Some Good that did.
We decided to take the time and verify his Claim and Contact the Trademark Office in Washington, Sure enough he had TWO (2) Photos of Van Halen copyrighted Not the hundreds of thousands that are out there. When I called eBay and told them this, they said they don't have the time to verify, and it was a big hassle for them and the legal cost wasn't worth the time to verifying every item that owners Claim belong to them. All they require is that the owners register that they have "IPR" Rights Registered in Washington. Then Pretty much anything they claim is theirs is taken down
This is so Wrong but on the other side if I owned eBay, I'm sure I would figure out some way to negate the liability also. since the owners definitely are going to sue eBay with their Deep Pockets along with the listing Vendor. The Answer is in my humble opinion it would be, if someone was Manufacturing and stealing their "IPR" and making a profit off of it listing new Stolen "IPR" on eBay Make the owners Document each item they are claiming so that they would be Liable for hurting the Seller. then let them take it off. but selling One Off of an item or a Lot that you legally acquired to get rid of Should be allowed.
It's Definitely Not Right since the Seller obviously put out his money to purchase it. This is the Dark side of The Business where they don't want anyone to compete with them. So they go after eBay which basically is in the Middle of it to enforce their wishes. the Property Rights owners need to find a way to Permanently hallmark and transfer ownership of the Widget or Do Not sell them to the Public in the first Place.
Sorry for the Long-winded Rant generally I stay off these boards because every time I put my two cents in Somehow my sells Immediately Drop for months after Guess the algorithm doesn't like Criticism of eBay but in this case, I'm trying to come to their defense of a bigger issue that needs to be resolved in the Courts.
