Temu’s rise has been striking. Launched in the US in September 2022, the platform reached 100 million active US users by early 2024 and became the most downloaded app on the Apple App Store that same year. That scale creates a significant opportunity for brands — and an equally significant threat.
Among the platform’s millions of sellers are fraudsters who steal product photos, listing copy, and brand assets to sell counterfeits, deceive consumers, and divert revenue from the legitimate brand that built those assets in the first place.If a Temu seller is using your intellectual property without authorization — whether it’s your trademark, product images, copyright-protected content, or patented design — this guide walks through exactly how to find them, how to report them through Temu’s IP Protection Portal, how to escalate through Temu’s newer brand programs, and when automation becomes necessary to stay ahead of the problem.
TL;DR
- Temu is one of the world’s most downloaded shopping apps, and counterfeits are widespread on the platform — including unauthorized use of brand names, logos, product images, and design assets.
- Sellers use tactics including keyword camouflage, stolen product images, and false brand authorization claims to evade detection.
- To report a seller, use Temu’s IP Protection Portal — you’ll need a Temu account to submit. Prepare the URLs of infringing listings, your IP registration details, and supporting documents before starting.
- The portal handles trademark, copyright, patent, and design infringement reports. The information required varies by IP type.
- Temu resolves more than 99% of takedown requests within three business days, with most cases resolved in under 24 hours.
- For repeat or high-volume infringement, enroll in Temu’s Brand Registry for faster individual reporting, or the Brand Guardian Initiative, a proactive program that embeds your IP directly into Temu’s detection system.
- You can also report suspicious activity — phishing emails or fake websites impersonating Temu — via Temu’s separate suspicious activity form, though this is a different process from IP enforcement.
Why Temu is a growing brand protection concern
Temu connects consumers with manufacturers and sellers — many based in China — and its ultra-low prices are a core part of its appeal. That same pricing model, however, creates conditions that facilitate counterfeiting.
When a counterfeit Marc Jacobs tote bag appears on Temu for $15 against an authentic retail price of over $300, the price gap doesn’t just attract bargain hunters — it signals to experienced shoppers that something is off, and it signals to scammers that there’s a market to exploit.
The scale of the problem is significant. An investigation by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation published in August 2025 found counterfeits readily available on Temu across categories including cosmetics, toys, luxury goods, and pharmaceuticals — and found that US Customs and Border Protection missed all likely counterfeits from Temu’s shipments during the study period.
The same month, the European Commission’s designation of Temu as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act imposed the strictest tier of compliance obligations on the platform. In May 2026, the European Commission fined Temu €200 million for breaching the terms of this act.
The most common tactics sellers use to exploit brands on Temu include unauthorized use of brand names, logos, and product images; keyword camouflage, where listings use functional or misspelled brand keywords to avoid detection; false brand authorization claims; and cloning entire product listings from other marketplaces. Some sellers use brand-adjacent text without the exact trademark to stay under the radar of automated detection.
The good news: Temu has invested significantly in its enforcement infrastructure in recent years. The platform’s proactive monitoring database now includes over 5 million images and 9 million keywords, and the platform claims it monitors proactively for over 5,000 brands.
Understanding how to use the tools Temu makes available — and when to go beyond them — is the key to effective enforcement.
Before you report: how to find infringing listings on Temu
Finding infringement is the necessary first step. There are three practical approaches:
Keyword search
Search for your brand name, product names, and common misspellings or abbreviations of your brand on Temu’s app or website. Compare what appears against your official product catalogue.
Sellers using keyword camouflage sometimes use deliberate misspellings, such as “Adibas” or “Guccci,” to evade automated detection while remaining findable to shoppers searching for the real brand.
Reverse image search
When you can only search by text on Temu, sellers using your product images without any branded text can slip through.
Use Google Lens or similar reverse image tools to find listings that have reproduced your product photography. This is especially effective for catching counterfeiters who have lifted images directly from your official website or other marketplaces.
Test purchase
If you’ve found a suspicious listing but want to verify it’s counterfeit before reporting, a test purchase can confirm it. The package you receive will contain the seller’s return address and other details useful for further investigation or legal escalation.
Once you’ve identified infringing listings, document them thoroughly before reporting. Take screenshots and record the exact URLs as they appear in your browser — these will be required in the IP Portal form.
How to report a seller on Temu: step by step
Step 1: Prepare your evidence and information
Gather the following before opening the form:
- Full URLs of the infringing listings, including http or https — copy directly from your browser address bar
- Your IP registration number, or date of first use for an unregistered trademark
- Name of the IP rights holder
- Description of the IP being infringed
- Supporting documents in PDF or JPG format — trademark certificates, copyright registrations, or product images showing the original
Step 2: Access the IP Portal
You must be logged into a Temu account to submit a report. You can access the IP Portal directly at temu.com/intellectual-property-complaint.html.
If you prefer to navigate there manually: on mobile, go to Settings → Legal terms & policies → Intellectual property policy and look for the embedded link to the “online intellectual property infringement report portal.”
On desktop, scroll to the footer and click Intellectual property policy, or go to the Support Center → Policies & others → Policies and locate the portal link under “What is Temu’s intellectual property policy?” or “How to report intellectual property infringement?”
Step 3: Complete the form
Begin by selecting:
- The type of IP you are enforcing: trademark, copyright, patent, or design
- The country where the infringement is occurring
- The URLs of the infringing Temu products or sellers
The remaining fields vary depending on the IP type selected:
Trademark infringement: Specify whether the violation is on the product page or packaging, or whether the physical product is a counterfeit of your trademarked goods. Provide the trademark registration number, or date of first use if unregistered, the name of the rights holder, and the brand name.
Copyright infringement: Specify whether the copyrighted material appears in images and videos on the product page, or on the physical product and its packaging.
Patent infringement: Specify whether it is a design patent or a utility patent.
Design infringement: Provide a detailed description of the design or upload a file illustrating it.
For all types, you’ll add a description of the IP, upload any supporting documents, verify your email address, and submit.
Step 4: Monitor the status
Once submitted, you’ll see notifications of complaint status in your Temu account. Temu’s support team will notify you if the seller files a counterclaim and you need to provide additional information.
Temu states it resolves more than 99% of takedown requests within three business days, with an average turnaround of under 24 hours.
Temu’s other brand protection channels
Beyond the standard IP Portal, Temu offers additional programs and reporting channels that are worth knowing about depending on the scale and nature of your enforcement needs.
Brand Registry
Temu’s Brand Registry allows rights holders to store their IP information on file, making future reports faster and easier to submit. Instead of re-entering the same ownership details each time, registered brands can use the stored information to support individual infringement complaints through the IP Portal.
This is useful if you expect to file repeated reports over time, especially for the same trademark, logo, or product line.
Brand Guardian Initiative
Launched in April 2024, the Brand Guardian Initiative is Temu’s most proactive enforcement program.
Rather than waiting for brands to discover and report infringements, BGI embeds your trademarks, logos, and product images directly into Temu’s detection system so the platform can catch violations before or as they appear.
The program includes more than 1,500 brands and enables brand owners to upload their trademarks, logos, and product images directly into Temu’s detection system, access one-on-one support for complex cases, and receive regular enforcement reports. BGI is available to brands regardless of whether they sell on Temu themselves — it’s a brand protection program, not a seller program.
Each enrolled brand receives a dedicated representative for one-on-one support through tutorials, takedown help, and complex IP case handling.
Participation requires a registered trademark. If you don’t have one yet, this is another strong reason to pursue trademark registration as a foundational protection measure.
Reporting suspicious activity
Temu also provides a separate reporting channel for suspicious activity that doesn’t involve a Temu seller — for example, phishing emails pretending to be from Temu, or fake websites impersonating the Temu brand.
This is a different process from the IP Portal and should be used when the scam is targeting Temu itself or its customers rather than infringing on your brand’s IP on the platform.
If you are a consumer who received a counterfeit or fraudulent order on Temu, the reporting path is also different: open the Temu app, go to your order, and use the “Report a problem” option to file a dispute. This routes to Temu’s customer service team, not the IP enforcement process described above.
What to expect after submitting a report
Temu’s review process follows a predictable sequence.
After submission, you’ll receive acknowledgment of receipt in your Temu account. Temu’s team will investigate the claim — which may involve requesting additional information from you — and take action if infringement is confirmed.
This typically means removing the infringing listing or restricting the seller’s account. You’ll be notified if the seller files a counterclaim. If that happens, be prepared to provide further documentation supporting your ownership of the IP in question.
If a listing reappears after being removed, or the same seller resurfaces under a different account, you can file again through the IP Portal. Persistent or serial infringers are subject to escalating consequences under Temu’s repeat infringer policies, which include formal written warnings and account restrictions.
How Red Points helps brands on Temu
Manual reporting through Temu’s IP Portal is the right approach for isolated, specific infringements you’ve identified yourself. But it has a fundamental limitation: it only addresses infringement you’ve already found.
For brands with recognized assets — a distinctive logo, popular product photography, a trademarked name — new infringing listings appear constantly, and no team has the bandwidth to search Temu and every other marketplace manually every day.
Red Points’ Marketplace Protection addresses this with automated, continuous monitoring. The platform scans over 5,000 marketplaces — including Temu — every day, identifying potential infringements using both text search and image recognition algorithms.
This matters specifically on Temu because the platform’s native search is text-only; sellers who use your product images without branded text can’t be found through keyword searches alone, but Red Points’ image search technology catches them.
Once potential infringements are detected, they’re compiled for review. A validation layer filters out false positives before any takedown is submitted — so only confirmed infringements are actioned. Source: G2 reviews.
You can validate infringements manually or set up automation rules to act immediately on specific infringement types without requiring individual approval. Red Points then handles enforcement on your behalf, submitting removal requests and tracking their status — across Temu and every other marketplace simultaneously.
For brands managing IP across a large number of platforms, this eliminates the whack-a-mole problem. Rather than discovering infringement reactively and filing reports one by one, you get a continuous enforcement layer that operates whether or not your team is actively looking.
What’s next
Temu’s IP Portal, Brand Registry, and Brand Guardian Initiative are meaningful tools — and brands should use them. For one-off infringements, the portal is direct and effective, with most cases resolved within 24 hours. For brands dealing with recurring violations, BGI enrollment is worth pursuing: getting your trademarks and product images embedded in Temu’s proactive detection system means the platform is working on your behalf before you even file a report.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Temu account to report a seller?
Yes. You must be logged into a Temu account to access and submit the IP Portal form. You cannot report a seller or provide product URLs without signing in. Creating an account is free and only takes a few minutes.
What types of IP can I report through Temu’s IP Portal?
The portal handles trademark infringement, copyright infringement, patent infringement, both design and utility patents, and design infringement. The information you need to provide differs depending on the type — see the step-by-step section above for what each requires.
How long does it take Temu to remove an infringing listing?
Temu states it resolves more than 99% of takedown requests within three business days, with an average turnaround of under 24 hours. More complex cases — especially those involving counterclaims from the seller — may take longer.
What is Temu’s Brand Guardian Initiative and should I enroll?
The Brand Guardian Initiative, launched in April 2024, is Temu’s proactive IP protection program. It embeds your trademarks, logos, and product images directly into Temu’s detection system, so the platform can identify and remove violations proactively rather than waiting for you to report them. It includes a dedicated representative, one-on-one support for complex cases, and regular enforcement reports. Enrollment requires a registered trademark and is available to brands regardless of whether they sell on Temu. If you deal with recurring infringement on Temu, BGI is worth pursuing.
What’s the difference between the IP Portal and the Brand Registry?
The IP Portal is where you submit individual infringement reports. The Brand Registry is a separate program that stores your IP information on file, allowing you to submit future reports more quickly without re-entering your details each time. They work together: register your brand first, then use the portal for individual reports.
Can I report a phishing email or fake website pretending to be Temu?
Yes, but through a different process. Temu has a separate channel for reporting suspicious activity like phishing emails or fake websites that impersonate Temu itself. This is not the same as the IP Portal, which is specifically for reporting sellers who are infringing on your brand’s IP on the platform.
What if the infringing seller files a counterclaim?
If the seller disputes your report, Temu will notify you and ask for additional supporting information — such as trademark certificates, copyright registrations, or other documentation proving your ownership of the IP in question. This is why thorough documentation from the outset matters: the stronger your initial evidence, the less likely a counterclaim is to create delays.
What should I do if the same infringement keeps appearing after removal?
File again through the IP Portal for each new instance, and consider enrolling in the BGI program so Temu’s detection system can catch new violations automatically. If infringement is occurring at a scale where manual reporting isn’t keeping up, automated tools like Red Points’ Marketplace Protection handle ongoing enforcement across Temu and thousands of other platforms simultaneously.
Can I report a seller on Temu if I don’t sell on Temu myself?
Yes. Both the IP Portal and the Brand Guardian Initiative are available to brand owners regardless of whether they are Temu sellers. You are reporting as a rights holder, not as a competing seller.
Is Temu required to act on my report?
In most markets, yes. In the EU, Temu is designated as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, which requires it to handle IP complaints under strict obligations. In the US, Temu’s $2 million fine under the INFORM Consumers Act in September 2025 signals increased regulatory attention. Temu also works with organizations including the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition and INTA, and has committed publicly to resolving the vast majority of reports within 24 hours.
