Key Points:
- If you're selling your own products, ensure they have a unique "look and feel". Avoid selling products that your customers might think were made by established brands
- Original branding, product design, and packaging are useful ways to distinguish your products. Customers are less likely to consider these products inauthentic or unoriginal
This article is for all sellers, and this guidance applies globally. Customers rely on branding when buying products and they may leave negative reviews if they feel misled about the brand of a product they bought. Selling unoriginal or inauthentic products may also result in enforcement actions, such as warnings, content removal, or account suspension. Follow these key guidelines to ensure your products aren't confused with other brands:
✅ What To Do
- Ensure your product has unique branding, design, and packaging
- Unique branding means there is no similarity between your brand and other brands. For example, using Brand XY for your products when there is already a well-known Brand XYZ is not allowed. It could also confuse your customers, who might think your product comes from Brand XYZ
- The same principles apply to your product's design and packaging. You can check if these are similar to existing products by scanning your product using image recognition software like Google Lens
- You can also check your product's similarity with the branding of existing products by reviewing its key elements:
- The key features of your product's design or packaging include:
- Brand names
- Logos
- Words
- Symbols
- Slogans
- Patterns
- Monograms
- Fonts
- Standout graphic designs
- The layout of these key features refers to where and how they appear on your product
- The words used to describe your product include any information about its benefits, capabilities, and functions. You can check if the way your product information is described is similar to an existing product by doing a web search
⛔What To Avoid
Avoid copying or relying on existing product branding, design, and packaging when creating your own products. While it may seem easier to base your work on an existing idea, customers are less likely to buy products that they perceive as unoriginal. Failing to follow this guidance may result in enforcement actions. Specifically, you should avoid the following:
- Using a brand name, logo, or slogan that is confusingly similar to an existing brand
- Copying the distinctive packaging, color scheme, or overall design of another product
- Using words or phrases in your product description that intentionally mimic another brand's marketing
