listing deactivated by Etsy

[EvianZO]

any idea why my listing of a towel with an embroidered om symbol was taken down? it's not subject to copyright, so I am at a loss.

[JackisJustVintage]

You can look up trademark information. It looks like the modern symbol is trademarked and it does apply to towels. Not sure what your symbol was but you can find this by googling OM symbol trademark. Justia has the information.

[FallenAngelBrass]

The symbol might not be trademarked, but the word "ohm" is trademarked in many categories.  Using that word in a trademarked category is an IP violation.  I've linked the USPTO search so that you can see all of the existing trademarks. 

[JackisJustVintage]

@FallenAngelBrass Is ohm the same as om? He asked about om which I think is different.

[AnnaleasFinest]

@FallenAngelBrass 

"om", is not "Ohm" though....

[CraftyCornishMaids]

If it is similar enough to a trademark to be confused as such, then it is in IP violation

[AnnaleasFinest]

@CraftyCornishMaids 

but it's in common language use since thousands of years....

How about trademarking Amen or Alhamdullilah...

just saying this is weird to me.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@AnnaleasFinest 

the system is simple,

apply for trademark in the category/sections you want, and pay,
... pay more for the more categories and sections, and the more countries you want covered

the assessors decide if it's OK,

the rest of the world has a few months to object.

If the assessors think it's OK, and no-one objects, you get the trademark.

If you use the trademark, or something that can be confused with a trademark, you are infringing.

It might sound daft, but it's the way it works.

[AnnaleasFinest]

@CraftyCornishMaids 

thank you for describing the process here!

[AnnaleasFinest]

Om (or Aum)  is a symbol representing a sacred sound, syllable, mantra and an invocation in Hinduism. Its written representation is the most important symbol of Hinduism. It is the essence of the supreme Absolute, consciousness, Atman, Brahman or the cosmic world. In Indic traditions, Om serves as a sonic representation of the divine, a standard of Vedic authority and a central aspect of soteriological doctrines and practices. It is the basic tool for meditation in the yogic path to liberation. The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads and other Hindu texts.

(Google)

As far as I know, words in this category cannot be trademarked.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@AnnaleasFinest 

I searched for AUM in UK gov trademark database

 there are 3 separate trademarks registered from different companies

they cover classes

3, aromatherapy oils, bath salts, perfumes  etc etc...

4, candles of various sorts, including church candles etc etc...

5 , crystals for theraputic use

35 commercial consultancy in relation to jewellery and perfumery

36 - this is an odd one - Providing underwriting and claims handling services on behalf of insurers, for commercial insurance in accident and health, property and casualty, and financial lines; insurance services.

...... I haven't tried the worldwide one, there are normally more there

....

for OM, there are 4 pages of registrations in the UK (about 6-7 per page) with various companies- over loads of classes

and OMM is trademarked for almost everything, worldwide, by the world meteorological Institution in Switzerland

[AnnaleasFinest]

@CraftyCornishMaids 

thank you for looking it all up!!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@AnnaleasFinest 

It's a dull day in Cornwall, and I am trying distraction activities so I can make excuses not to start doing my tax returns!

[AnnaleasFinest]

@CraftyCornishMaids 

oh, LOL....aren't taxes awful??

I just got asked for 2 documents in 2 weeks, but my tax counsellor is on vacation.

WHAT to do?? What if I were away on vacation for three?

[nineteen27]

you do have infringements in your shop.

right now.

use the other take-down as a warning.

[Amaradorn]

It might not be the symbol itself, but could also be any of the words you have used in the title of tags if they are registered trademarks. You will need to review everything very carefully. Did Etsy tell you who filed the claim against your shop? You can sometimes work it out depending on who made the report.

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

Hello! We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with your listings. We've forwarded your concerns to a specialist team, and your case is being worked on as we speak - Moving forward, they will handle it directly with you, so please stay tuned to your email as they may reach out through there. Thank you! 

Please know we handle support inquiries privately per our Community Policy – we’re closing this thread, so you can get the support you need from us directly.