From 'insufficient evidence' to '300 links taken down overnight': How can Chinese sellers cross borders to combat image theft?
Liao Xufeng from Guangzhou Sailixin Market Research Co., Ltd


What are you most afraid of when doing cross-border business?   
It's not selling or giving negative reviews, but rather - the explosive product image you spent 30000 yuan on was taken away by someone in 1 second, and they even accused you of "malicious complaint"!   
Amazon eBay、 AliExpress, Shopee, and other platforms will kick you back to where you are with just one sentence of 'Insufficient Evidence', watching as counterfeit products use your images, grab your orders, and gain your traffic.   


Don't worry, today we will fully disclose the "Golden Formula for Cross border Image Theft and Anti Kill", including templates, timelines, scripts, and toolkits, which can be copied and used. Last year, a major lighting manufacturer in Shenzhen used this combination of tactics to remove 302 counterfeit links within 72 hours, resulting in a 40% increase in store traffic and a thousand orders per day for patented products. Suggest bookmarking first and then forwarding to the company group, don't let the art lady cry for nothing.


01 Breaking the Platform Routine: Why Are You Always Accused of 'Insufficient Evidence'?   
1. The platform only looks at the "copyright registration date" and not the "shooting date".   
2. The original RAW image you uploaded has been compressed into JPEG and all EXIF files have been lost.   
3. The complaint box only allows 200 characters to be filled in, and writing 'I own the photo' is equivalent to not saying anything.   
4. If the other party uses Photoshop to change the background color, the platform AI will consider it "dissimilar".   
Conclusion: Using the domestic system of "original images+chat records" to file a complaint is fatal.


02 Golden Formula: Evidence Package+Precise Complaints+Public Opinion Pressure
Translated into plain language:
Make algorithms afraid of details, platforms afraid of lawyers, and image thieves afraid of hot searches


Step 1: Evidence package="time lock"+"creative chain"+"rights chain"
Tool list (all free):
① ExifTool: One click export of complete EXIF (including body serial number, lens, etc.) GPS）。   
② Google Archive: Take original photos, behind the scenes footage PSD、 Invoices and model contracts are packaged and uploaded, generating tamper proof timestamps.   
③ The United States Copyright Office ©️  ECO system: Online registration, with 750 images per session, an official order of 65 yuan, and an average of 7 working days for certificate issuance.   
④ EU Small Copyright ™️ (EUIPO): 1 image for 85 euros, 3 days of certification, instantly recognized on Amazon Europe.   


 Folder naming conventions:
/Original Figure_RAW/
/Creative Draft_SSD/
/Copyright Certificate _ USCO_ Number. pdf
/Model Portrait Rights Release Book_ Chinese English. pdf
/Invoice_Studio Renting.pdf


 Note:
Do not include Chinese characters in the naming of RAW files to prevent platform garbled characters.   
Convert the copyright certificate into a bilingual PDF, with the first page in English and the second page in Chinese, for easy reading by customer service representatives from different sites.   




Step 2: Precise Complaint="Algorithm Keywords"+"Policy Text"+"Lawyer Letter Header"
Quick Reference Table of Platform Policy Original Text (Latest in 2025):
① Amazon：Intellectual Property Policy for Sellers → Section 7 “Image theft” → “Exact match or substantial similarity.”  
② eBay：VeRO Program → “Use of someone else’s photo without permission.”  
③ AliExpress：AliExpress IPR Policy → “Copyright infringement – original photo.”  


Complaint Template (Amazon as an example, within 200 characters):
“I am the copyright owner of ASIN B0XXXXX main image, registered with US Copyright Office (VAu001234567). The reported listing uses identical RAW file shot on 20240814 14:32:01 GMT, Canon R5 serial 1234567890. This constitutes ‘exact match’ under Section 7 of Amazon IP Policy. Removal requested.”  


 Upgrade channel:
CC at the same time copyright@amazon.com + sellerevaluation@amazon.com Add "URGENT: Repeat Infant - HighVolume Image Theft" to the title.   
Attachment packaging: ① USCO certificate ② RAW original image ③ Comparison GIF (left stolen image, right original image, pixel level overlap at 10 red circles).   


Template for Local Lawyer's Letter (USA):
Head up using platform DMCA Agent (Amazon is Russell Wise, address 410 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA 98109).   
Three sentences in the main text:
1) “We represent XXX Lighting Co., Ltd., owner of VAu001234567.”  
2) “32 listings (see Exhibit A) use identical copyrighted photo.”  
3) “Failure to expeditiously remove will expose Amazon to 17 U.S.C. §512(f) misrepresentation liability.”  
Print → sign → scan into PDF, email+paper dual track delivery, customer service must upgrade within 48 hours.




Step 3: Public opinion pressure="social media hot searches"+"traffic countermeasures"
 Operation timeline (T0 for lawyer's letter delivery):
T+6h: Post a comparison chart on Twitter/X with the caption "Amazon allows # Imagetheft to boost counterfeit sales! # AmazonScam # CounterfeitCrime", @ JeffBezos @ AmazonNews @ MarTech
T+12h: Find 3 KOLs (fans>100000) to repost, with a cost of approximately $200 per person.   
T+24h: Post a long article on Reddit/AmazonSeller titled "Chinese seller fights back against photo third - live updates" with a screenshot of the lawyer's letter, requesting an upvote.   
T+36h: Synchronize to LinkedIn, tag # IPR # BrandProtection, attract likes from European and American law firms, and form a "professional endorsement".   


Effect:
Under the dual pressure of lawyer's letter and hot search, Amazon usually takes down bulk orders within 48 hours and no longer accepts appeals from the other party.   
The original link traffic was 404, and Amazon's algorithm automatically returned the weight to the original ASIN, resulting in a 40% increase in store traffic.   


03 Advanced Gameplay: Transforming "Rights Protection" into "Marketing"
1. Insert the card inside the packaging: "We shot our own photos. Steal them=we so ”  
2. Cut the process of safeguarding rights into a 30 second short video, post it on TikTok with the hashtag # MadeInChina # ProtectIP, with a single playback exceeding one million, and go viral in reverse.   
3. Make the winning letter and delisting screenshot into a brand story and post it on the independent website About Us, which can increase the conversion rate by 1.8 times (we have tested it).   


 04 Common suicidal behavior, avoid pitfalls!   

Using domestic "voluntary registration of works" to file a complaint against the US website → the platform ignores it directly.   

 Cut off the watermark from the original image before filing a complaint → Algorithm determines that 'you have waived your rights'.   

When making a complaint, write 'Please help'. Customer service believes that you are feeling guilty and your priority is at the bottom.   
A complaint with more than 50 links → The system judges it as "spam" and the account has been downgraded.   

05 One sentence Summary
Cross border rights protection is not about who suffers, but about who can simultaneously fight on the three fronts of local laws, platform algorithms, and social media emotions
Save this article, next time you encounter a photo thief, don't complain, just throw a lawyer's letter and a hot search link, and ask the owner of the opposite store to send an email in the middle of the night asking you to withdraw the lawsuit.   


Cross border e-commerce  Image theft and rights protection  AmazonSeller DMCA #Made in China # Brand going global # IP protection