Home

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights with eBay’s Verified Rights Owner program

|
Updated:  
2018-02-21 14:13:37
|
eBay For Seniors For Dummies
Explore Book
Buy On Amazon
eBay is a venue — a place where sellers sell their wares to smart shoppers like you. No one at eBay owns the items, and no one at eBay can guarantee that any item is as described in auction listings. That means you could, theoretically, buy a “genuine” Kate Spade purse on eBay for $24, and immediately realize when it arrives that the purse is counterfeit. That’s not eBay’s fault. (Shame on you for thinking you could get that kind of deal on a new Kate Spade purse — but if you can, grab it up and let us all know.)

Just because eBay doesn’t take the blame for its fraudulent sellers’ handiwork doesn’t mean that eBay doesn’t care if you get duped. Their VeRO (Verified Rights Owner) program connects eBay with companies or persons who care to protect their intellectual property rights (such as a copyright, trademark, or patent) against possible infringements in eBay listings.

VeRO members send proof to eBay that they own the specified intellectual property. In return, they can report infringements to eBay — and eBay’s listing police will end the counterfeit listings. This is not an automatic service, however, and the property owners are responsible for finding their own infringements on the site.

Many VeRO members have their own profile pages. Check out the VeRO page to see a list of links to these pages.

About This Article

This article is from the book: 

About the book author:

Marsha Collier is a renowned social media strategist and bestselling author. She authored all editions of eBay For Dummies and co-hosts Computer and Technology Radio. Marsha even made headlines in 2014 when her husband proposed to her over Twitter—the first social media engagement on record!