{"id":12914,"date":"2026-03-23T17:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westernbid.com\/%d0%b1%d0%b5%d0%b7-%d0%ba%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b3%d0%be%d1%80%d1%96%d1%97\/how-to-protect-your-designs-on-etsy-from-copying-trademarks-dmca-and-tips-for-sellers\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T12:57:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T12:57:59","slug":"how-to-protect-your-designs-on-etsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westernbid.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-protect-your-designs-on-etsy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to protect your designs on Etsy from copying: trademarks, DMCA, and seller tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Good day, everyone! This is Masha Kaganovich, a marketer at Western Bid. And today’s article follows the material “How to find a market gap<\/strong><\/a>“.<\/p>

What is a market gap<\/h2>

So, a market gap is something that, well, everyone just wants to occupy. It\u2019s an empty space under the sun. It\u2019s when a niche, or a service, or some element of a product is not yet present on the market, but it is very in demand.<\/p>

And a seller finds, designs this new design or niche or service and, thus, enters this gap. Well, you understand, a person who can find such a gap and fill it, naturally, gains the entire market share. And, of course, they get a huge amount of business and profit, and so on.<\/p>

The problem of copying designs<\/h2>

But here\u2019s the question people ask. By the way, they asked it under this material, but it\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve encountered this question:<\/p>

\u201cI came up with a unique design. Or I found a market gap. And not long after, someone \u2014 a Chinese or someone else, my former employee \u2014 copied my design almost completely and came out with a lower price on the same marketplace, mostly on Etsy, and sells very successfully, undercuts my price, takes my market share, and so on. What can be done?\u201d<\/p>

In this article, I will talk about two strategies you can apply to protect yourself from such theft.<\/p>

Why you shouldn\u2019t be discouraged<\/h2>

Surely, there is probably no brilliant idea that someone hasn\u2019t stolen somehow in the end. And neither patents nor any additional copyright protection for many designs really works.<\/p>

For example, let\u2019s take \u2014 suppose you invented a new recipe. How can you patent a new recipe? Well, someone will change it a bit \u2014 add half a slice, a drop of more salt \u2014 and that\u2019s it. Your patented recipe is no longer valid. So, no, people do not patent such things.<\/p>

It\u2019s not like Coca-Cola invented a secret ingredient that no one else knows \u2014 only three people in the world hold this secret recipe. And yet, they still faced competition \u2014 Pepsi-Cola. Yes, Pepsi-Cola never became as popular as Coca-Cola, but there is still competition. You understand, something very similar.<\/p>

And there are many other items and designs that are very hard to patent. Agree, a thief can just slightly alter the design, and then it\u2019s impossible to prove that it\u2019s the same \u2014 right? That\u2019s the point.<\/p>

Main advice<\/h2>

But what I want to tell you very importantly is that this should never stop you. Never stop working on new ideas, finding them, implementing them on marketplaces, founding your own companies, brands. Never.<\/p>

Why? Out of all the people I know, and companies I know, that successfully launch new products and then even face competition \u2014 they deal with it later, try to do something \u2014 but no one regrets starting a new business or creating a new product.<\/p>

Why? What\u2019s it connected with? Why do they not regret?<\/p>

Because when someone wrote in comments under this material that \u201cI came up with a new design, and it got stolen the very next day,\u201d in reality, designs are almost never stolen the next day. Because initially, this design, this idea, this new product, this new niche \u2014 they need to show themselves, prove themselves.<\/p>

You already need to have a bunch of sales, your product needs to become a bestseller, you know, your business, your brand needs to become recognizable. And then, yes, it happens.<\/p>

Real-life examples<\/h2>

But look, let\u2019s take examples \u2014 what happens when someone steals another\u2019s idea. We\u2019ll start with big companies, then move to smaller ones.<\/p>

Example: Uber vs Lyft<\/p>

So, someone invented the Uber company, right? I told this example before. But together with Uber, there\u2019s another company, its competitor \u2014 Lyft. By the way, I think… I\u2019m not sure who started this business first, because we see both Lyft and Uber as popular. Well, I think Uber started first, because everyone talks about Uber, Uber, Uber \u2014 because this brand became known, and then competitors appeared.<\/p>

So, the one who starts first, from the very beginning, secures their place on the market, gains that market share, a huge number of loyal customers. And yes, later their share can be partially taken away, but this is enough to continue growing, developing, and entering new markets.<\/p>

Because, well, that\u2019s how it works. Yes, niches fill very quickly, and then you need to look for new ones. You can\u2019t live on one idea or product forever. But if you come up with a global… well, idea like Uber or Lyft, it\u2019s very even possible to succeed despite competitors.<\/p>

Example: Crocs<\/p>

Let\u2019s just compare \u2014 another example. We have the well-known company Crocs. Notice, probably everyone knows \u2014 that\u2019s also from this material. They came up with a new rubber shoe shape, which is very convenient and cool to wear on the beach or near water. Nobody had thought of it before. It\u2019s very cool and great.<\/p>

Just look, why do I mention this website \u2014 just look at the price. How much do these Crocs cost? Just because it says Crocs, one pair costs, for example, 49.99 \u2014 50 dollars. If it has some eyes or other decorations, it can cost 85 dollars, 89, 90 dollars for a rubber product.<\/p>

Copies on Temu<\/p>

Can\u2019t you just go to Temu and search? I just typed \u201cRubber Shoes.\u201d And I got this huge array of various stickers \u2014 very similar, maybe even like bracelets. Or, for example, those that are directly molded like Crocs. 12 dollars, 5 dollars, see?<\/p>

But who sells more \u2014 Crocs or Temu? What do you think? Crocs? Or Temu? I don\u2019t know… but it doesn\u2019t matter. Because I don\u2019t think the person who created or even patented these Crocs is very upset or focused on the idea that someone stole it. The millions and billions of dollars earned on this idea are probably worth it already.<\/p>

What can be patented<\/h2>

By the way, speaking about what can be patented. Can you patent it or not? Is it impossible? So, what should you do? \u201cOh, I came up with a design \u2014 make rubber shoes.\u201d Well, good for you. No, it\u2019s not possible.<\/p>

What, then, can be patented \u2014 it\u2019s the name.<\/p>

Strategy 1: Trademark registration<\/h2>

Now, we approach the first strategy. This is registering a trademark \u2014 that is, registering your name, your brand.<\/p>

Let me show you how it\u2019s done. It costs about 350 dollars in America \u2014 easy and simple.<\/p>

Registration process<\/p>

So, look, there\u2019s a special website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>

Here you go. They say they are processing a request sent to them as of May 25th. So don\u2019t expect it to be quick \u2014 it can take about six months to a year.<\/p>

What can you register<\/p>

Here\u2019s what you can register:<\/p>