Temu Accelerates Action Against Counterfeit Greeting Cards

Thu Oct 23 2025 11:58:56 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In response to the increasing prevalence of counterfeit greeting cards, Temu has committed to a faster removal process for plagiarized designs, collaborating with the greeting card industry to protect intellectual property.

Temu has partnered with the greeting card industry to expedite the removal of counterfeit greeting cards from its platform. The new process, influenced by pressure from the Greeting Card Association (GCA), simplifies takedown requests and aims to protect designers' intellectual property. Card creators shared their distress over the counterfeiting, stressing the emotional toll and financial loss due to copied designs. As Temu implements this new system, industry leaders express cautious optimism regarding improved protections for original creators.

Online shopping giant Temu has agreed to collaborate with the greeting card industry in a bid to expedite the removal of copied designs from its site, addressing the ongoing issue of counterfeit merchandise that has affected many creators. This initiative follows complaints from card companies about the rampant copying of their designs, resulting in substantial financial losses.

Card firms have reported that hundreds of copyrighted images have been used to produce cheaper imitations, leading to discussions that have likened the removal process to a frustrating game of 'whack-a-mole', where removed items reappear almost immediately.

To counteract this, Temu has announced that intellectual property protection is one of its primary goals and is now encouraging sellers to participate in a new trial that targets the greeting card sector specifically. The goal is to streamline the process of removing plagiarized listings, allowing designers to submit a single link for multiple infringements, thereby significantly reducing the administrative burden.

Amanda Mountain, co-founder of Lola Design, highlighted the emotional and financial toll of these infringements, revealing that nearly all of her decade-spanning catalogue had been replicated without permission. She described her shock upon discovering her designs on inferior products and emphasized the personal connection she feels towards her creations.

As part of the new takedown process developed under pressure from the Greeting Card Association (GCA), designers can now report copyright infringements more efficiently, anticipating quicker removal of counterfeit products without the need for extensive paperwork. The association's CEO welcomed the changes, expressing hope that this initiative may pave the way for enhanced protections across other product categories.

For designers like Amanda and her husband Frank, this issue extends beyond personal livelihoods to the broader implications for the greeting card supply chain, emphasizing that consumers ultimately bear the cost of substandard products. Amanda's message to those tempted by cheaper alternatives is clear: 'cheap always comes at a cost.'