Temu Enhances Brand Protection with Advanced IP Enforcement and Seller Vetting

Temu has implemented a robust intellectual property (IP) enforcement program designed to protect brands and rights holders from infringement on its marketplace. According to Temu’s 2026 Intellectual Property Protection Report, covering June 2025 to May 2026, the company has tripled the number of brands under proactive monitoring to more than 15,000.

Central to Temu’s approach is a comprehensive seller vetting process. Prospective sellers must submit company registration, legal representative details, and operational credentials, which are verified against third-party data sources. This stringent verification results in the rejection of over 40% of new applicants at onboarding for failing to meet the platform’s standards.

Seller oversight continues post-onboarding through ongoing reviews of seller records and IP documentation. Sellers must comply with platform policies, and violations can lead to listing removals, suspensions, or account termination. Over the reporting period, Temu terminated more than 16,000 stores due to repeated IP violations.

Temu’s Intellectual Property Policy explicitly prohibits the sale of infringing products and establishes penalties for violations and repeat offenders. The platform employs a combination of proprietary screening technology and expert human reviewers to detect and remove infringing listings at multiple stages: before seller approval, prior to listing publication, and after listings go live.

The platform’s detection database has expanded significantly, now encompassing over 47 million images and 9.5 million keywords — a more than ninefold increase in image coverage within the year. This extensive database enables Temu to proactively screen every listing before it goes live.

Proactive removals of infringing content have surged, outnumbering reactive takedowns by a ratio of 331 to 1, up from approximately 200 to 1 in the previous period. Temu’s system also targets “dupes,” listings that imitate the overall look and feel of a product without using its trademark. To identify these, the platform combines image-based detection with reference materials supplied by rights holders.

Temu supports rights holders through dedicated tools such as the IP Portal, a notice-and-takedown channel for reporting suspected infringements, and the Brand Registry Portal. The latter allows rights holders to store and manage trademark and other IP information, streamlining future enforcement requests by eliminating the need to resubmit documentation. The registry also covers geographical indications, protecting origin-based marks like Champagne and Parma ham.

In April 2024, Temu launched the Brand Guardian Initiative, collaborating directly with more than 3,000 brands, including approximately 500 small and medium-sized enterprises. Participating brands embed their trademarks and product images into Temu’s monitoring systems, enabling earlier detection of suspected infringements. These brands benefit from direct, one-on-one contact with Temu’s enforcement teams and expedited takedown processes.

Temu also provides IP education through its Seller Education Center, offering training on brand vetting procedures, platform compliance policies, and best practices to foster a culture of respect for intellectual property among sellers.

Continuous monitoring extends beyond listing publication. Suspected infringements identified via automated systems, manual review, or rights holder reports are promptly investigated and removed. Repeat offenders face stringent consequences, including store termination, reinforcing Temu’s commitment to maintaining a trustworthy marketplace environment.

Through this multi-faceted IP enforcement program, Temu aims to reduce the burden on rights holders and smaller businesses lacking dedicated IP teams, ensuring rapid and effective protection of intellectual property rights across its platform.