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As an eBay member, you are responsible for making sure that buying or selling an item is legal in the eyes of the law. It is essential that you have a look at the items that are prohibited and restricted on eBay.

Prohibited / Restricted Items

Some of the products not allowed for sale are: Click here for a list of all Prohibited and restricted items.

Copyrights & Trademarks

What is a copyright?
A copyright is the protection given throughout the world to certain original works of authorship, including text, pictures, music, etc. The owner of a copyright holds the exclusive right to duplicate / distribute and create derivative works from his work. Auction listings often contain text, photographs and the names/trademarks of companies. The text and photographs which you create and use in item listings may be protected by copyright laws.

What is the copyright policy?
Contrary to popular belief, the fact that material is posted on the World Wide Web does not mean it is in the "public domain" or otherwise free to be taken, copied or used by others. Creators of web content probably have copyright, trademark and other rights in the material they create. Copying, modifying and possibly linking to content created by others could expose you to legal liability.

What is a trademark?
A trademark is a name or logo used by a company (or person) to identify its goods or services.

What is the trademark policy?
No Confusing Listings! If you are selling a brand name product, you can probably show a picture of the product and refer to the company by name, but you cannot do so in such a way that it suggests that your auction is approved, sponsored or endorsed by the manufacturer. Also, you must be careful not to sell products which bear the brand name of a company which did not make the product.

Examples
  • You scan a photograph of Elvis Presley (without permission) to use in a listing in which you are selling an authentic autograph of Elvis Presley
  • You copy someone else's text and (without permission) paste it into your own listing to sell the same item (Making slight modifications to the text may not relieve you of liability)
  • You copy the URL of a photograph appearing on a golf club manufacturer's web site or another member's listing causing the photograph to appear in your listing (without permission).
  • You prepare a listing to sell non-branded sunglasses, but you use the Rayban® trademark in your listing
Violations of this policy may result in one or more actions, including:
Tip: You can protect your copyrighted descriptions and images, which you have previously used on eBay. Learn how.

Report Violation
Rules and Safety Support - Community members can report prohibited, questionable and infringing items to eBay.

Verified Rights Owners (VeRO) Program - Intellectual property owners can report items that allegedly infringe on their rights.

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