DMCA takedown notice template for counterfeit listings (and what platforms look for)

Understanding the DMCA takedown notice template for counterfeit listings

E-commerce has opened up global markets for small and mid-size consumer brands, but it has also made it easy for bad actors to copy products. When you find unauthorized sellers copying your official product photos or stealing your text, you must act quickly. This is where a counterfeit listing takedown becomes necessary. Many brand owners believe any intellectual property issue can be resolved with a standard copyright notice. However, it is essential to understand that the DMCA applies specifically to copyright violations, such as when an unauthorized seller copies your product photographs, written product descriptions, or marketing graphics. If a bad actor puts your registered brand name or logo on goods you did not make, or uses them in a way that misleads buyers, that is a trademark matter and follows a different complaint path. Having a reliable DMCA takedown notice template allows your team to compile the necessary information quickly. Tailor the document to the specific violation and the platform you are addressing; each platform reviews notices at its own discretion.

What e-commerce platforms require to accept your takedown notice

A platform can only act on a notice it can verify, and an incomplete notice is likely to be rejected or sent back for more information. The elements below follow 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

• Your contact details: Your full legal name, company name, physical address, email address, and telephone number.
• Identification of the copyrighted work: A description of the copyrighted material that has been infringed, such as a link to the original images on your official website.
• Identification of the infringing material: The exact web addresses of the infringing listings or specific identifiers like Amazon ASINs or eBay listing IDs.
• A statement of good faith: A statement that you believe in good faith that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• An accuracy statement: A statement that the information is accurate, made under penalty of perjury, and that you are authorized to act.
• A physical or electronic signature: The signature of a person authorized to act for the rights owner.

Exact identifiers matter most in practice. If you point to a whole storefront or describe the material vaguely, the platform cannot tell which item to remove and is likely to ask for more detail or decline.

A standard DMCA notice example and template

This DMCA notice example can be adapted when an unauthorized seller copies your product images or text.

Subject: Notice of Copyright Infringement To: Designated Agent From: Contact Name: [Your Name] Company: [Your Company Name] Address: [Your Physical Address] Email: [Your Email Address] Telephone: [Your Telephone Number] Dear Designated Agent, I am writing on behalf of [Your Company Name], the exclusive owner of the copyrighted works described below. I have identified unauthorized uses of our copyrighted material on your platform. 1. Identification of the Copyrighted Work: The copyrighted material consists of original product photographs owned by [Your Company Name], viewable at: [Insert link to original product page on your official website]. 2. Identification of the Infringing Material: The following listings on your platform are using our copyrighted photographs without authorization: [Insert URL of infringing listing] (Listing ID: [Insert ID]). 3. Good Faith and Accuracy: I have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner. Sincerely, [Your Name]

Why manual counterfeit listing takedown notices fail

Using a DMCA takedown notice template is a start, but manual processes are difficult. Tracking down every counterfeit seller, copycat listing, and lookalike domain manually requires hours of daily searching. It is virtually impossible for a small team to search multiple marketplaces daily. Furthermore, platforms require solid proof. If you do not capture screenshots and pricing immediately, the evidence might disappear before you can file, only for the listing to reappear later. Managing manual notices across various platform forms can also lead to administrative errors like omitting the correct seller ID. Finally, counterfeiters frequently create new seller accounts, meaning removed listings often return undetected without continuous monitoring.

How Brand Protector automates discovery and simplifies takedowns

To solve these challenges, Josh Savinson built Brand Protector inside the pet-supplement brand Wuffes, our founding design partner (there is a public case study). Brand Protector is a multi-tenant SaaS designed for small and mid-size consumer brands, direct-to-consumer businesses, Amazon sellers, and Shopify merchants. It helps your team find and remove counterfeit, hijacked, or unauthorized listings, lookalike domains, and brand misuse.

Brand Protector scans a wide range of channels on schedules. Our coverage includes major marketplaces such as Amazon (US/UK offers and catalogs), eBay (US/UK), Etsy, Walmart Marketplace, AliExpress, Temu, Shein, TikTok Shop, Flipkart, and Meesho. The software also monitors Google Shopping, Google Search results, lookalike domains with registrar lookups, and AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. When you set up a workspace, the software runs its first checks right after setup. The dashboard shows honest per-check rows (such as completed, ran into a problem, checked up to the scan limit, or did not start), rather than an all-clear status we cannot prove.

Identified violations are funneled into a single inbox containing only actionable findings. Each card shows recorded evidence, including the seller name, price, condition, images, and our confidence reason, omitting null measurements. You can perform bulk actions to confirm, dismiss, or escalate findings, or configure Slack and email digests. Teammate changes are never silently overwritten: if a row changes while you view it, the system skips it, reports the change, and offers a built-in undo option for dismissals.

To make scanning efficient, you can add authorized sellers, owned ASINs, listing IDs, and owned domains to allowlists. Because our scanners read these lists, approved sellers stop appearing as findings. When it comes to enforcement, Brand Protector operates under a strict triple-gate system. First, an automated confirmation step flags the finding. Second, a team member reviews the details. Third, a team member with explicit signing permission confirms the exact identifier and signs an attestation before any notice is sent. Our platform prepares notices tailored to each platform, including Amazon Brand Registry, eBay VeRO (by API, or prepared for the VeRO portal), Walmart, Etsy, AliExpress, Temu, Shein, TikTok Shop, Google Shopping, registrars, and Shopify. The signed attestation and attempt record are written before any transmission occurs. This architectural design ensures that no notice can ever go out unsigned, and your records will always show whether the transmission succeeded, failed, or remains uncertain. Our honest status line states clearly: “A takedown is not submitted until somebody sends it.” The platform also features evidence pack PDFs, reappearance detection, and minimum advertised price monitoring with letter templates framed as unilateral policy enforcement.

If you would rather not manage counterfeit listings by hand, try Brand Protector and see what its first checks find for your brand.

Frequently asked questions