Running an online business can be rewarding, but it’s also vulnerable to intellectual property theft.
Sarah Watts, founder of The Chiswick Gift Company, knows this firsthand, as her intellectual property gets stolen every week, and it’s a constant battle to protect her work.
Taking pre-emptive steps can help minimize the damage, including watermarking images, video, and audio to make them less appealing to thieves.
Watermarking can be done in several ways: covering as much of the image as possible, repeating the watermark, placing it over a focal point, and making it complex with different opacities and textures.
For images, set the opacity at 30%-50%, and for video, put the watermark on the timeline to ensure it appears throughout, a process used to protect original work.
Adding a watermark to audio can also be done, either as a branded audible mark or encoded data within the audio frequencies, which is used to safeguard creations.
Regular reverse image searches can help identify where images are being used without permission.
Copyright is automatic for original work, but it only protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself.
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In the UK, you can also register your design to protect your product’s appearance, such as shape or pattern, through the UK Intellectual Property Office, a service that provides small businesses with support.
If you find your intellectual property has been stolen, act quickly and try contacting the seller to see if they’ll take it down voluntarily.
Reporting the infringement to the selling platform is also essential, and it is key to have a Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) profile to report infringements effectively to platforms like Amazon and eBay.
For Temu, report through their IP Portal with proof of rights and evidence of the infringement, a process that requires careful documentation.
Checking social media and reporting any misuse to the platform is also vital, as it helps prevent further infringement and protects customers from scams, a concern that is also relevant when considering how to retain property when customers default.
Informing your social media followers about the issue can also help warn customers about potential scams and fake products, a step that helps maintain trust.
Keeping innovating to stay ahead of those who would steal intellectual property is advised.
Protection.
