False copyright infringement claim

[lookartbooks]

I’ve had two items closed due to copyright claims and eBay in their overzealous way have immediately removed the listings. One item was an official Paddington Bear poster for the recent film and there were multiple watchers and I’m sure it would have sold. If I sell an official Paddington Bear cuddly toy, DVD, book or, as in this case, poster that is my property, I am not infringing on the copyright of Paddington and Company Limited! That is not how copyright works in the UK and the laws back me up. I suspect they are doing it to boost their own sales and market share. This feels (and almost certainly is) illegal. The poster I was selling was from the film’s distributor and is used on Paddington and Company Limited’s own Facebook page. They must have known it was an authorised, official poster when they made their false claim. Why don’t eBay come to sellers to let them know there’s a claim and let them dispute it before you close the listing? 

I’d be grateful for any assistance on how to approach this/contact eBay.

[red_magpie]

It isn't a question of eBay being "overzealous" in removing your listings. Under eBay's VeRO scheme (see foot of page) eBay has undertaken to remove any listing which the registered brand rights owner reports as infringing their intellectual property rights. Your argument is with the brand owner.

It's possible that the reason for removal isn't actually the copyright of the item itself. Brand owners with exclusive distribution rights may also be able to report items being offered for sale by sellers who are not authorised distributors. eBay tends to lump all reports together as "counterfeit" or similar.

If you search the list of VeRO registrations you should be able to find the registration details for the rights owner concerned, and see exactly what rights they have registered for protection.