Hello, I sell authentic movie memorabilia such as one-sheets (posters) and received a VeRO Brand Name Misuse Policy violation recently. I am confused as to the actual violations I allegedly committed. I've read through eBay's VeRO policy pages and am still unsure. I'm posting this hoping someone can explain this to me.
In my sales, I include the name of the film that the one-sheet was produced for as well as photos of the item itself. However, a film production company flagged several of my sales for using their brand name inappropriately. Below are the policy violations they are claiming along with my comments in italics:
- Your listing was reported by <Production Corporation> for using their brand name inappropriately. eBay’s Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program offers intellectual property owner(s) a way to report listings that they believe infringe on their rights
- Brand names cannot be used in listings if the product isn’t manufactured by, or compatible with, that brand. You may use "compatible with", "fits", or "for" before a brand name, if the item described is specifically designed to be compatible with the products of that brand
I can confirm that the items I sell are authentic and produced as official marketing/promotion items of the film. I also can confirm I use the exact example language above that is acceptable by saying "this is FOR <movie name>"
-- Using a trademark owner's logos without permission is not allowed.
I do include logos but I do include photographs of the item for sale. I fail to see how this would be a violation.
- If you believe a mistake has been made, you will need to contact the rights owner directly. If the rights owner approves your appeal, please have them contact us directly to reinstate your listing(s)
I am in the process of contacting them using the provided email address, but as with many other post here, I have little faith in an appeal.
My question is, how do I "appropriately" state which film that a poster is for and include images of the item for sale? According to the violation I received, stating: "This authentic one sheet is for the film <Movie Name>." is a violation.
