Online brand protection, channel by channel
TL;DR
- Online brand protection is finding the places your brand is copied online and getting each one removed by the company that can remove it: the marketplace, the store platform, the host, the registrar, the social network, the ad platform or the trademark office.
- Each channel has its own route and its own proof, so a plan that covers one channel well and ignores the rest leaves the copies customers actually find.
- Takedown covers marketplaces, copycat stores and lookalike domains, social accounts, ads and US trademark filings; a person checks every match, you approve each case and our team files, from $500 a month.
- Next step: ask for the free 360° report, or use the directory of every reporting form to file yourself.
Online brand protection is the work of monitoring the internet for unauthorised use of a brand, such as counterfeit listings, cloned storefronts, lookalike domains, impersonating accounts, scam ads and conflicting trademark applications, and enforcing against each through the platform or registry that controls it. It differs from reputation management, which handles reviews and press, and from cybersecurity brand protection, which chases phishing aimed at a bank's or software company's customers. This page maps each channel a consumer brand is copied on to the company that can act and the right it needs.
Every channel, and who can remove it
| Channel | What a copy looks like | Who can remove it | Right it usually needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces | Counterfeit listings, listings with your photos, listings using your name | The marketplace, through its IP programme (Amazon, eBay VeRO, TikTok Shop) | A trademark registration valid in that marketplace's country, or copyright in the photos |
| Copycat stores | A store with your photos and catalogue at a fraction of your price | The store platform (Shopify and others), then the host | Copyright in photos and text; trademark for your name |
| Lookalike domains | yourbrand-outlet.shop, yourbrnd.com | The registrar suspends for abuse; a UDRP complaint transfers it | Trademark, for a transfer |
| Social accounts | An Instagram or TikTok account using your name and logo | The social network, through its impersonation or IP form | Proof you are the brand or act for it |
| Ads | Meta or TikTok ads using your name or photos, often sending traffic to a copycat store | The ad platform | Trademark or copyright; Meta Brand Rights Protection needs a registered mark |
| Search results | Copycat stores ranking for your brand | Google, on a copyright removal request; Safe Browsing for sites collecting card details | Copyright in the copied content |
| Trademark registers | Someone else's application for your name in your classes | The trademark office, through a letter of protest or an opposition | Your earlier rights in the name |
No single company can take a copy off every channel. A copycat store usually has a Shopify store, a domain at a registrar, ads on Meta and an Instagram account, and each needs its own report. The directory of reporting forms lists the official route for each platform.
Where to start
Start where your customers are being lost, not where reporting is easiest:
- Ads and copycat stores first if customers are buying from a site they think is yours. One ad can send more buyers to a fake store than a hundred marketplace listings.
- Marketplaces next, especially the ones you sell on, where a counterfeit sits beside your own listing.
- Trademark filings within their window. A US application can be opposed only within 30 days of publication unless you ask for more time, which is why trademark monitoring is about dates.
- Social accounts and lookalike domains that are live but not yet selling, before they start.
What Takedown covers
| Channel | Takedown |
|---|---|
| Marketplaces | Amazon in 9 storefronts, eBay in 8, AliExpress, Alibaba, Temu, TikTok Shop, DHgate and Chrono24; any other marketplace where Google Lens finds your product photos |
| Copycat stores and domains | Lookalike domain variants, certificate logs, Google search and reverse image search |
| Social accounts | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Threads accounts using your name |
| Ads | Meta ads, and TikTok ads shown in the EU and UK |
| Trademark filings | US (USPTO) applications and registrations using your name, in your goods classes |
A person on our team checks every match, you approve each case, and our team files with each company that can act on it. Nothing is filed in your name without your approval.
Summary
Summary
| Online brand protection with Takedown | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Marketplaces, copycat stores, lookalike domains, social accounts, ads, US trademark filings |
| Who checks | A person on our team, for every match |
| Who approves | You, case by case |
| Who files | Our team, with each platform, host, registrar and ad network |
| What it costs | From $500 a month, month to month, quoted with the free 360° report |
| Doing it yourself | The directory of every reporting form |
Frequently asked questions
What is online brand protection?
Finding unauthorised uses of your brand online, from counterfeit listings and copycat stores to fake accounts and ads, and getting each removed through the company that controls it.
Is online brand protection the same as reputation management?
No. Reputation management deals with reviews, press and search results about you. Brand protection removes copies of you: fake products, fake stores and fake accounts.
Do I need a trademark for online brand protection?
It helps on most channels, and some programmes require one, such as Amazon Brand Registry and Meta Brand Rights Protection. Copied photos and text can be reported as copyright without any registration.
How much do online brand protection services cost?
Published prices read on 14 October 2026 run from $19 a month for self-serve photo monitoring to at least $1,250 a month for Red Points' self-serve plan. Takedown starts at $500 a month and files the reports for you.
Sources, checked 16 October 2026
Hand it over
Want someone to find the copies and file the reports for you?
Takedown scans for copycat stores, lookalike domains, marketplace listings, impersonating social accounts and conflicting US trademark filings, a person checks every match, and nothing is filed until you approve it. Start with a free 360° report on your brand.
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