Item authenticity, counterfeits, and intellectual property

Counterfeiting infringes trademark or design rights by copying a specific product or its parts (such as a shape, pattern, logo, etc.) protected by those rights. 

Manufacturing, distributing, or selling counterfeit items is illegal and may incur civil or criminal penalties. Even if the seller openly states that their item is counterfeit, selling counterfeit items is still illegal.

You’re responsible for listing, selling, and sending only authentic items, in line with our Terms and Conditions and applicable laws.

An item is not allowed if it:

• Bears a company’s or designer’s brand, logo, or distinctive sign, but wasn’t made or authorised by them
• Copies specific, recognisable features of a branded product (for example, the shape of a perfume bottle or a bag’s design and pattern)
• Can’t be verified as authentic or if you suspect it isn’t authentic. You also can’t add disclaimers like “not sure if authentic”
• Uses a brand name or trademark in a way that may confuse or mislead members about the item’s origin, or suggest false affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement
• Uses unrelated brands in the brand field, title, description, or hashtags
• Uses wording like “inspired by [brand]” or “[brand]-like”
• Is a bootleg, fake, or pirated copy

To ensure a smooth transaction:

• Buy branded items only if the seller can reasonably prove their authenticity. Ask for more details if you’re unsure
• Keep copies of proof of authenticity (such as invoices, certificates) for items you sell – we may ask for them
• Upload photos that clearly showcase the item’s authenticity. Learn how to take photos of branded items

When you list a luxury item, please provide proof of its authenticity. Otherwise, we’ll have to hide or delete the listing.

You may also be asked to provide proof of authenticity when you list items from brands that are popular targets for counterfeiters, even if the items are not luxurious pieces.

To show buyers your item is authentic, please upload:

• Receipt or invoice
• Certificate of authenticity
• Tags and care labels
• Logos, patterns, and stitching
• Original packaging
• Date/authenticity codes
• Any other relevant details

For electronics, please also show, where possible:

• Device serial number
• Warranty card
• Barcode on the box

Using someone else’s photos or text without permission can infringe copyright. If you want to use third‑party content, you must obtain explicit permission.

Here are some examples of potentially illegal uses:

• Using pictures from a brand’s website in a listing to illustrate an item of that particular brand
• Copying pictures from other websites or internet searches

When advertising your listing, use only the item’s brand name or trademark. Do not include other brands in the description or hashtags to improve search results or leverage reputations, and avoid comparing your item to another brand using its trademark.

If you believe any material on Vinted infringes your copyright, you can request its removal by sending a written notification to our Copyright Agent identified below. 

In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512) (“DMCA”), the written notification must include the following:

• Your physical or electronic signature
• Identification of the copyrighted work you believe to have been infringed
• A description of where the alleged infringing material is located
• Adequate contact information (including your name, postal address, telephone number, and email address)
• A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the use of the copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the written notice is accurate
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Please report your concerns to us by submitting written notifications to our Copyright Agent:

Counter Notification procedures

If you believe your material on Vinted was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, you can submit a counter-notice to the address listed above. It must include:

• Your physical or electronic signature
• Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled
• Adequate contact information (including your name, postal address, telephone number, and email address)
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or a misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled
• A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court where you live (or, if you live outside the U.S., any district where Vinted can be found) and that you will accept service of process from the complainant or their agent.

After we receive your counter-notification, we’ll forward it to the party who submitted the original copyright infringement claim. When we do, it will include your personal information, and by submitting a counter notification, you consent to this disclosure. We won’t share it with anyone other than the original claimant.

Under the DMCA, we may restore the removed material if the original claimant does not file a court action against you within 10 business days of receiving your counter-notice.

If you knowingly make a material misrepresentation that content on Vinted was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, you may be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys’ fees) under the DMCA.

Reporting claims of any other intellectual property rights infringement

Our Notice & Action form is intended for use by IP rights owners to notify us of alleged infringements. If you’re not an IP rights owner or someone acting on behalf of an IP rights owner, you won’t be able to submit intellectual property infringement reports through this form.

We take proactive measures to identify and remove items that may be unlawful, using both automated tools and human review. 

For extra security, you can opt for Item Verification or Electronics Verification to verify an item’s authenticity and functionality. 

We also provide guidance to help you buy and sell in line with our policies and local laws.

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In line with our Terms and Conditions, if a listing offers a counterfeit item, we’ll permanently remove it and suspend the account from which the listing was added. 

If it happens repeatedly and our policy is ignored, we’ll remove the items and permanently block the account that violated the rules.

If you believe there’s been a misunderstanding, you can appeal our moderation decision:

• Check the message in your Vinted inbox with our decision for a link to appeal
• Explain why you think the decision was incorrect and provide any supporting evidence

You can appeal only once, within 6 months of receiving the decision.

Members and non‑members can also:

• Submit a dispute to a certified out‑of‑court dispute settlement body
• Bring an action before national courts, in line with local laws