A Sydney apparel business says it removed the overwhelming majority of thousands of copied Temu listings after reporting them under its registered trademark. Earlier attempts to use Temu’s standard intellectual-property reporting process had repeatedly failed, according to detailed reports published on September 18, 2026.

This is analysis of one documented seller case, not proof that the same method will work for every product or jurisdiction. Its practical lesson is still useful: your complaint has to match the protected asset that the listing actually copied.

One brand says its whole catalog appeared on Temu

Lonely Kids Club founder Warwick Levy told ABC News Australia that copies of thousands of the company’s graphic T-shirts appeared on Temu. Popular designs were allegedly offered by dozens of sellers, while listings reused the brand’s descriptions, mockups, product photos and name.

Levy said Temu’s IP form disappeared before submission during repeated attempts. He eventually prepared the claim data outside the portal, opened the form in a private browser window and kept the session active until submission. The reported removals took a little more than a week after he used the Lonely Kids Club trademark to report listings carrying that name.

The Guardian independently reported that the overwhelming majority came down, although Levy later found more copies. Temu said it removed the reported listings through its IP Protection Portal, added the brand’s works to a monitoring database and could suspend or ban sellers that violate its policies.

Levy believes AI scraped the company’s roughly 4,000-product catalog. The copied text and images support a copying allegation, but they do not prove which tool collected them. Treat the AI explanation as the owner’s theory, not a technical finding.

The trademark claim worked because the name was copied

The case can sound as if a trademark is stronger than copyright. That is too simple.

Copyright generally protects original expression, including artwork and product photography. A trademark identifies the source of goods, such as a brand name or logo. EcomCrew’s guide to the practical differences among copyright, trademark and patent protection explains why the same listing can implicate several rights for different reasons.

Here, the reported trademark route was available because the listings used “Lonely Kids Club.” A copy that reproduces the artwork but removes the brand name may require a copyright, design-right or other claim instead. A word mark does not automatically give its owner exclusive rights over every image it sells.

Registration also has borders, classes and ownership details. Levy relied on an Australian trademark. Sellers should ask qualified counsel which marks and creative works need registration in the countries where they trade and enforce. This article is operational analysis, not legal advice.

For Amazon sellers, EcomCrew’s explanation of how IP Accelerator can provide earlier Brand Registry access after a qualifying trademark filing shows how platform tools can depend on the registration route. Temu has its own portal and requirements, so an Amazon enrollment is not a substitute for Temu evidence.

Build the evidence file before copies multiply

Keep the source files for every important design, including dated drafts, layered artwork and the final export. Preserve creator agreements that assign or license the rights to your company. Record the first publication date, product URL, SKU and markets where the work was offered.

Do the same for catalog assets. Retain original photos, raw image files, copy drafts and change history. If a marketplace seller copies the product image and description, those files help connect the live listing to your earlier work.

Maintain a trademark register with the owner’s legal name, registration number, jurisdiction, covered classes, renewal date and approved brand presentation. The claimant named in a portal should match the rights record or carry clear authority from the owner.

When duplicates appear, use a batch sheet. Record the marketplace listing ID, seller name, URL, date captured, copied element, applicable right and report number. Save full-page screenshots and a comparison with the original. For a high-value case, consider a test purchase so you can preserve the physical product and packaging.

Report the right violation and track the result

Separate the complaints instead of uploading one vague accusation. A listing may copy the word mark, the shirt graphic, the product photo and the description. Identify each asset and the evidence supporting ownership.

Prepare the data outside the portal so a crashed session does not destroy the work. Submit through the official channel, save the confirmation and log every response. If the form fails, document the time, browser, error and attempted submission before escalating through published support routes.

Removal is not the end of the process. Search for the image, brand name, distinctive phrases and common spelling variations after the takedown. Keep relisted URLs tied to the earlier case numbers so the platform can see repeat behavior.

The immediate seller task is to choose the ten designs or products whose copying would hurt most and complete their ownership files now. The next evidence to watch is whether Temu’s monitoring database prevents relisting at scale and whether the company publishes a reliable bulk-reporting process for small brands.