TikTok Shop UK intellectual-property violation: appeal evidence

An IP notice can concern a trademark, copyright, design or other protected material. Read the product, content and reason shown in the notice before choosing an evidence path. If the listing uses images, descriptions, logos or other assets without the necessary rights, correcting or removing that material may be more appropriate than claiming a right you cannot evidence.

Do not create documents, alter dates or state facts that you cannot verify. A factual explanation is more useful than a broad claim that the enforcement is unfair.

• You own the IP: check that the certificate is valid, not expired, names the same owner or account where required, covers the country of the reported infringement, and that any trademark class matches the product.
• You are authorised: a letter of authorisation should grant the relevant IP rights, match the parties, state its territorial scope, be signed or sealed, and remain current. Permission to distribute products alone does not automatically permit use of the owner’s images, logo or other IP.
• You bought the product legitimately: keep an unedited invoice or receipt that matches the product, predates the listing and falls within the guide’s stated 12-month period. A purchase record does not by itself establish copyright or brand-asset rights.
• The notice is an error: use clear screenshots, comparison material and the documents relevant to the specific mismatch. Do not infer a legal conclusion from a superficial similarity.

For digital files, an invoice for a download is not necessarily permission to use it commercially. Check the licence terms and retain evidence that they grant the intended commercial use. If the rights do not cover the listing’s images, copy or product, remove or replace those assets instead of presenting a distribution permission as an IP licence.

The TikTok Shop UK IP appeal guide states that a seller may have two appeal opportunities: a first appeal within 80 days and, after a rejection, a second within 15 days. For creators, it states one opportunity within 80 days. These figures are from that IP guide only; they are not a deadline rule for every TikTok Shop enforcement. The date and action shown in your live notice prevail.

TikTok says appeal documents may be shared with relevant parties. Keep submissions limited to what the appeal requires and avoid including unrelated confidential information. The guide also says an approval can be reversed if an IP owner later provides evidence that documents were false or invalid.

Example only — not a template or a finding: A UK seller receives a notice about a listing that used a supplier’s catalogue photograph and a brand logo. The seller has an unedited invoice for the physical stock, dated before the listing, but the supplier agreement only permits resale.

The seller should not describe that resale permission as authority to use the photograph or logo. They could remove the disputed assets, check whether a separate current IP authorisation exists, and submit only evidence that matches the path selected in the live notice. The facts, documents and available actions can differ in a real case.