If you've spotted a seller on TikTok Shop pushing fakes under your brand name, you're not alone, and you're not powerless. TikTok Shop has a dedicated enforcement route for rights owners: the Intellectual Property Protection Centre (IPPC). It lets you register your IP, search for infringing listings, file takedown notices, and track outcomes, all from one portal.
This post walks through that process step by step. If you want to understand why counterfeit sellers are drawn to TikTok Shop in the first place, we've covered that in detail in our piece on TikTok Shop counterfeits and why social commerce has become the new counterfeit frontline. Here, we're focused on what you actually do once you've found a seller you need gone.
Key point: Only IP rights owners or their authorised representatives can file a notice through the IPPC. If you're acting on behalf of a brand, you'll need documented authorisation before you start.
Step 1: Register as a Rights Owner on the IPPC
Before you can report anything, you need to be recognised as an IP rights holder on the platform. The IPPC registration process is straightforward, but it does require verified documentation.
Create your account and organisation
Go to ippc.tiktokglobalshop.com and sign in. If you already have a TikTok Shop seller account, use those credentials. If not, sign up for a new account.
You'll then need to join or create an IPPC organisation. If your brand already has one set up, ask an admin for an invitation. If you're starting fresh, click Create Seller Organization to set one up.
Verify your identity
TikTok requires identity verification before you can submit any complaints. Select Enterprise if the IP is owned by a business entity, or Individual if it's personally owned. You'll need to upload supporting documents at this stage.
Register your IP assets
Once verified, navigate to the IP Management page and click Upload IPR Documents. Select the type of IP you're protecting. What you'll need to submit depends on the IP type:
- Trademark: The official trademark certificate from the relevant national authority (e.g. the UK Intellectual Property Office or the USPTO). If your trademark has been renewed, include the renewal certificate.
- Copyright: Either a copyright registration certificate or a copyright claim statement, plus an image or video of the copyrighted material.
- Registered Design: You can register a design in the IPPC, but complaints for registered designs must be submitted via TikTok's separate webform rather than through the IPPC complaint tool.
Important: Your IP asset must be active and enforceable in the country where you're filing. A trademark registered only in the UK cannot be used to remove a listing operating in Germany, for example.
Once submitted, TikTok reviews your application. If it's rejected, you can click Re-Apply to correct and resubmit.
Step 2: Find the Infringing Listing and Build Your Evidence
With your IP approved in the IPPC, you can now search for infringing products, videos, and live streams directly within the portal. Use your brand name, product names, and variations to surface listings that are misusing your trademarks or selling counterfeits.
Before you file, gather your evidence. A weak complaint is more likely to be rejected or disputed. For a trademark counterfeit report, TikTok specifically asks for:
- Side-by-side images comparing your authentic product with the suspected counterfeit
- Screenshots of the infringing listing, including the seller name, product title, and URL
- Any customer review images that show the fake product
Screenshot everything before you report. Sellers sometimes remove listings the moment they suspect a complaint is coming, and you'll need that evidence if TikTok requests more information or if the seller appeals.
If you cannot access the IPPC for any reason, TikTok also offers an IP Rights Report webform as an alternative submission route.
Step 3: Submit Your Complaint
Once your evidence is ready, go to the Complaint Management page in the IPPC and click Submit New Complaint.
The form works sequentially. You must complete each section in order, top to bottom, because each choice unlocks the next set of options. If you skip a section (such as the "Nature of Complaint" field), you won't be able to select your registered IP asset further down.
Work through the form in this order:
- Select the Complaint Type (trademark counterfeit, copyright infringement, etc.)
- Select the Country where the infringement is occurring
- Search for and select the specific product, video, or LIVE you're reporting
- Choose your registered IP asset from the options available
- Upload your supporting evidence (the side-by-side images and screenshots)
- Submit
TikTok will email you about the outcome. You can also track the status of all submitted complaints directly on the Complaint Management page.
Where TikTok finds a violation, it can take action against the listing and the seller account, including removing the listing, suspending the account, or withholding balances. The platform has sole discretion over what action it takes.
What to Do When the Same Seller Comes Back
Getting a listing removed is the easy part. The harder problem is repeat sellers who reopen under a new account name or relist the same product with slightly different images or titles.
This is where reactive reporting through the IPPC alone starts to show its limits. A single takedown is a one-off action. Repeat infringers require ongoing monitoring, pattern recognition, and consistent enforcement to actually deter.
A few things you can do within TikTok's own system:
- Use the IPPC's monitoring tools to keep searching for new listings after a takedown, particularly using the same seller's product images or descriptions
- Document the seller's account name, storefront URL, and listing details before each report, so you can identify whether a new account is operated by the same bad actor
- If a seller appeals your complaint and TikTok sides with them, you can resubmit with additional evidence
Outside the platform, building a detailed evidence file on repeat offenders strengthens any escalation route, whether that's further IPPC reports, a cease-and-desist, or a legal action. Our guide on how to stop repeat counterfeit sellers after the first takedown goes into this in more depth.
It's also worth noting that counterfeit activity on TikTok isn't limited to product listings. Sellers increasingly use live shopping sessions to shift fakes in real time, making them harder to catch through standard listing searches. We've written separately about livestream shopping fraud and how counterfeiters exploit live selling if that's a problem you're seeing.
The Limits of Manual Reporting
The IPPC is a useful tool, but it's a reactive one. You find a listing, you report it, you wait. For brands dealing with a handful of infringers, that process is manageable. For brands with a significant presence on TikTok Shop, or those selling in categories that attract heavy counterfeit activity, manual reporting quickly becomes unsustainable.
The volume problem is real. Counterfeit sellers can relist faster than most brand teams can monitor and report. Without automated detection running in the background, new listings appear, get traction, and damage your brand before anyone on your team even sees them.
This is where Remove.tech's brand protection platform comes in. Our software monitors marketplaces and social commerce platforms continuously, flags potential infringements as they appear, and handles the enforcement workflow, so your team isn't spending hours each week running manual searches and filing individual complaints.
If you're not sure what's currently out there using your brand, a free brand audit is a practical first step. It takes a couple of minutes to request and gives you a clear picture of where the exposure is before you decide how to tackle it.
FAQ
Do I need a TikTok Shop seller account to use the IPPC?
No. You can sign up for an IPPC account without a TikTok Shop seller account. However, if you do have a seller account, you can log in using those credentials and sync authorisations, which simplifies the identity verification step.
What types of IP can I register in the IPPC?
You can register trademarks, copyrights, and registered designs. Note that registered design complaints must be submitted via TikTok's separate webform, not through the IPPC complaint tool.
What happens if TikTok rejects my complaint?
You can resubmit with additional or corrected information. If the complaint is rejected because your IP documentation was incomplete, address the gaps and click Re-Apply. If a seller successfully appeals your takedown, you can file a new complaint with stronger evidence.
Can I report a counterfeit seller if my trademark is only registered in one country?
Only if the infringement is occurring in that same country. Trademark rights are territorial. A UK trademark registration cannot support a complaint about a listing that operates in France or the US.
What if a removed seller just comes back under a new account?
Document everything before and after each takedown: the seller name, storefront URL, product images, and listing URLs. This creates a record that supports escalation, whether through further IPPC reports or legal channels. Automated monitoring tools can help by detecting new listings from the same seller before they gain traction.
Is there an alternative to the IPPC for filing a report?
Yes. TikTok Shop also accepts complaints through its IP Rights Report webform. This is the fallback route if you're unable to access the IPPC portal.
