topic Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases in General Zazzle Discussion

My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Kkoyle — Sun, 01 May 2022 09:50:01 GMT

Someone (thank you!) sent me a link to a seller on Etsy. She was purchasing my best selling pillow designs wholesale, as pillowcases. She was kind enough to take them down and share who she purchased through. They won't reply. Then, I found that same seller on Walmart.com. Over 20 of my designs so far. I am livid. Walmart is not responding. I also see designs from fellow Zazzlers on Walmart.com. Search Walmart.com for pillow cases (and maybe use the theme of your design to search for your own - most are using the exact same titles too). Here's one of mine...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Emvency-Throw-Pillow-Cover-Map-Fish-Colorful-Caribbean-Starfish-and-Coral-Ocean-Decorative-Pillow-Case-Home-Decor-Square-16-x-16-Inch-Pillowcase/856220434

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Windy — Sun, 01 May 2022 13:28:36 GMT

This is an outrage.

Apparently more people will be doing this.

https://marketplace.walmart.com/

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

CreativeLeahG — Sun, 01 May 2022 14:38:20 GMT

OMG! I assume you've alerted Zazzle direct? Hopefully, they will be on the case quick smart and recoup some losses!

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

CreativeLeahG — Sun, 01 May 2022 14:59:16 GMT

For sale here too

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emvency-Starfish-Rhinestone-Decorative-Pillowcases/dp/B07JMXZRVT?th=1

https://www.dotandbo.com/aoibhyn/product/set-of-4-pillow-cases-the-beach-starfish-and-summer-is-my-happy-place-rhinestone-pillowcase-cushion-cover-case-home-decor?configurationId=5e66fa6111878a53bf7c1fa4&osky_coupon=DABDISCOUNT10PLA

https://www.pricepulse.app/throw-pillow-covers-map-fish-colorful-caribbean-st_us_4789095

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154736242709

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

PAZP — Sun, 01 May 2022 14:44:30 GMT

I was just about to mention that I've found a number of mine on Amazon and had to go through the take-down process.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Kkoyle — Sun, 01 May 2022 15:37:16 GMT

Yes, I've seen the same sellers all over with my designs. Most of them lead back to China. Not sure anything can be done. I just hope that Walmart, in particular, will get enough of our demands that they stop it themselves. I imagine they have to ask their sellers to confirm they have rights to the designs their selling. It's frustrating! 😞

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

WittyBetty — Sun, 01 May 2022 18:54:51 GMT

Someone has already mentioned a very similar scheme where an Etsy seller from Turkey was selling pillowcases (or pillows) they "purchased" designs from someone else; and that person also wouldn't respond, and that Etsy seller also took down the listing with stolen designs. I wonder if that person that sells stolen designs to wholesalers actually exists or it's a made up story all thieves use as an excuse when caught to avoid being punished by the platform if they don't take down counterfeit listings following the copyright holder request. I also wonder how long it takes for them to post for sale stolen designs again.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Windy — Sun, 01 May 2022 18:58:59 GMT

Probably ninety seconds, lol. Those who make their designs easy to steal (like Zazzle) will have an endless game of whack-a-mole, or just keep losing market share (like Zazzle).

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

WittyBetty — Sun, 01 May 2022 19:09:36 GMT

I repeat like a parrot that product views should be so small that if stolen by screenshots they won't make it past first customer review. Small product view + magnifying glass, like Amazon does. I may be missing something but I think it would help big time.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Caprice — Sun, 01 May 2022 19:52:58 GMT

You have to wonder if theft like this happens to power sellers like Elke Clarke, etc. Wonder if they have a method for combatting - or if they have the ear of Z to get them to act on this kind of theft?

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

CreativeLeahG — Sun, 01 May 2022 21:37:13 GMT

Re 'power sellers' I assume you mean high level pro sellers. All the more visible items in the market place are affected. Mainly of course pillows ... best way to combat is to have custom template fields.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Emma — Mon, 02 May 2022 22:36:40 GMT

Hi @Kkoyle ,

Many thanks for bringing this to our attention, and I'm sorry to see that this has happened. I've just reached out to you directly via email.

- Emma 🌻

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Kkoyle — Tue, 03 May 2022 00:27:10 GMT

Thank you Emma. I replied to your email. I hope other Zazzlers will go check it out. I see so many familiar Zazzle pillow designs and shower curtains too. Kim

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

shellifitz — Thu, 05 May 2022 05:29:44 GMT

Sounds like Walmart is become just like Amazon. The best we can hope for is that they are using low res stolen images and that they get more cancellations than sales.

Unless you enjoy whack a mole there really is no way to stop these overseas pirates.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

shellifitz — Thu, 05 May 2022 05:31:51 GMT

Also, that same seller has a shop on Amazon. I recognize the name from last year when another Zazzler posted about stolen designs.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Kkoyle — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:55:11 GMT

***You can only submit 10 at a time through their link***

Hello Kim,
Thank you for following up on this matter. However, for reporting and tracking purposes, we ask that you submit all items you would like to report via our online portal. To ensure we receive all necessary information, please refer to the following link to submit your claims, https://brandportal.walmart.com/ipservices

Due to the large number of items you wish to report, you may want to apply for our Walmart Brand Portal. Walmart's Brand Portal is a tool that provides rights owners with the ability to manage their brands and intellectual property rights within one unified interface. The tool provides:

- Streamlined IP claim submission process
- Comprehensive claim tracking dashboard
- Centralized user management services

We trust this information is helpful. However, for additional information on the benefits of using the Brand Portal, please visit: https://marketplace.walmart.com/brand-portal/.

This claim is now closed. Once we receive the new claims, we will resume the investigation.
Thank you for your assistance.
Regards,
Kevin
Walmart Trust & Safety

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

MMAndersonArt — Fri, 06 May 2022 15:03:08 GMT

Good luck! I gave up even looking a long time ago. I'm sure my best-selling pillows are still up on Amazon. As soon as you get one taken down it comes back up under another name. I rarely sell a pillow here anymore.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

shellifitz — Fri, 06 May 2022 20:56:49 GMT

Are you kidding me? They want to sign you up so you can claim your own property... What? Is that their official DMCA takedown form? just wow.

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Connie — Sat, 07 May 2022 02:04:41 GMT

But would that interfere with our ability to download the product images for manual pins or mockups?

Re: My Zazzle pillow designs sold on Walmart.com as pillowcases

Angel — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 11:05:06 GMT

@KKoyle

So nice of someone to give you a heads up. 😀

I strongly suggest you print the pages that have your content (or screenshot) and make sure you have the website address (url) of those pages. It's best to keep a paper trail. And if you find the same person or company stealing your content it will be easier to take action against them. And copy or write down their contact info, their websites - anything that can help you identify them and shows they have your designs on their websites or stores.

You do have other options. Especially since both you and Walmart are in the USA.

There is a thing called DMCA. This applies to most websites. Usually a link will be provided in the website footer telling you how to lodge a DMCA complaint with them.

The DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) is a United States copyright law focused on digital mediums that helps content owners get their stolen content removed in a fast and efficient manner. This extends to places such as Internet Service Providers (ISP), web hosting providers, and search engines. (excerpt from https://kinsta.com/blog/dmca-takedown-notice/)

So you've tried to get Walmart to take it down and they didn't. 😕

Did you know they have a precise process for these kinds of requests? It is listed at https://www.walmart.com/help/article/claims-of-intellectual-property-infringement/6171b9ac00384f3f920aa14a9c08bdac

I found it hard to do with Amazon, but they did remove my product.

Now if Walmart doesn't respond even after you've followed their process, you can file a DMCA TAKEDOWN NOTICE with Walmart's Internet Service Provider; their Web Host, and if nothing else fails you can request a DMCA removal to the Search Engines like Google and Bing.

The tool WHOIS will give you the info about Walmarts website admin info. https://www.whois.com/whois/walmart.com

https://www.dmca.com/Takedowns/DIY.aspx?r=m has a Do It Yourself Kit for DMCA Takedowns or you can hire them. And they have info on how to protect content on your website.

https://www.upcounsel.com/dmca-protection DMCA Protection: Everything You Need to Know

One way to know if your content is being stolen is to do backlink or reverse image checks to see where your content is being displayed.

I hope this is useful info for you.