In brief
In response to pressure from the Greeting Card Association and numerous designers, Temu has implemented a new, expedited process for removing copied greeting card designs from its platform. The initiative, which allows card companies to report multiple infringing listings with a single link, aims to protect intellectual property and reduce losses caused by counterfeit products. Designers like Amanda Mountain are hopeful that these changes will restore integrity to the industry and protect their creative outputs.
Online shopping giant Temu has agreed to work with the greeting card industry to remove copied designs from its site more quickly.
Card firms say hundreds of their copyrighted images have been used to create cheap rip-offs, costing them thousands of pounds in lost sales.
Designers told the BBC the process for getting the plagiarised listings removed has been like the fairground game 'whack-a-mole' with copied products re-appearing within days.
Temu said protecting intellectual property was a top priority and that it was encouraging sellers to join the trial of a new takedown process specifically for the greetings card industry.
Amanda Mountain, the co-founder of York-based Lola Design, discovered the catalogue of designs she had built up over a decade had nearly all been copied.
Amanda bought one of the cards using her design and found the image distorted and of poorer quality than hers. It's not a nice feeling to see something you've poured all your love and hours into taken within minutes, she told the BBC.
After pressure from the Greeting Card Association (GCA), Temu has now put in place a bespoke takedown process for the industry which it says will mean stolen designs are removed more quickly and won't be able to be re-uploaded.
Previously, card firms would have to report each individual listing but, as part of the trial, they will now only have to submit one link. The software will remove the product and any others using the same design.
In a statement, Temu said intellectual property protection is a top priority and that it had invested heavily in resources to strengthen trust with brands, sellers and consumers. Amanda Fergusson, GCA's chief executive, welcomed the changes as a step towards protecting the designs that bring joy to consumers.
