Hasbro taking action against certain eBay auctions

Posted by Seibertron Apr 11, 2008 at 10:11am CDT 29,997 views

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Earlier this week, auctions were pulled off eBay for 3 upcoming Classics figures (Sunstreaker, Prowl and Tankor). It appeared that Hasbro was finally taking a stand against the early releases and/or prototypes from China that keep showing up early on eBay (often referred to as "stolen" or "lunch time specials"). Seibertron.com now has confirmation that Hasbro is indeed starting to go after these types of auctions (please see the message below). It is our hope that Hasbro will begin going after the G1 knock offs as well and put an end to the increasing problem of the market from early releases of upcoming figures and knock offs.

In the interest of full disclosure, the eBay user mentioned below, chicagorhinox, is the account for Ryan Yzquierdo, the owner of Seibertron.com and the writer of this news post.

Dear chicagorhinox,

You recently listed the following auction-style listing:

170208223501 - Transformers Animated Bulkhead Red Prototype Complete

The listing was removed because it violated eBay policy. We notified members who placed bids on the item that the listing has been canceled.

The rights owner, Hasbro, Inc., notified eBay that this listing violates intellectual property rights. When eBay receives a report of this type of violation, we remove the listing to comply with the law.

Trademark infringement is unlawful and violates eBay's policies. A trademark is a unique sign (such as a name, word, phrase, logo, or symbol) that a company uses to identify its products and/or services.

Using another company's trademark in a way that may confuse buyers about the source of goods or services, or confuses buyers into believing that the seller is affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the trademark owner is both illegal and against eBay's policies. Examples include counterfeits, unauthorized replica items and items that bear the brand or logo of a company without that company's permission.

Guideline: If the product you are listing bears the brand or logo of a company, but it wasn't made or authorized by that company, don't sell it on eBay.

Parallel import laws may prohibit the unauthorized importation of branded products into certain other countries. Sellers who intend to ship branded items outside of the country for which the item was intended for distribution may be required to get authorization from the trademark owner to sell those items in other countries. This may be true even if the good is genuine and legal to distribute in the seller's country.

For more information, please visit the following Help pages:

http://pages.eBay.com/help/policies/importation.html
http://pages.eBay.com/help/tp/trademark.html

To take the intellectual property tutorial, please visit:

http://pages.eBay.com/help/tutorial/ver ... intro.html

Please be aware that any additional violations of this policy may result in the suspension of your account. eBay understands that you may be concerned about this situation.We encourage you to contact Hasbro, Inc. directly if you have any questions.

You can send an email to: [[[ EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED BY SEIBERTRON.COM ]]]

For more information on how eBay protects Intellectual Property, or for additional information if you believe that your listing has been removed as a result of an error or misidentification, please visit the following Help page:

http://pages.eBay.com/help/tp/programs-vero-ov.html

For more information on why eBay may remove a listing, please visit:

http://pages.eBay.com/help/tp/listing-ended.html

Please be assured that your listings have not been targeted in any way. Although there may be similar items currently listed on eBay, we review all listings that are reported to us by eBay members or Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program participants. We rely on reports from our members to help maintain the safety and security of our Community. We encourage you to report any items by using the REPORT THIS ITEM button on the listing so we can quickly remove any other items that should be removed.

Your listing(s) may be eligible for relisting through My eBay. If your listing is eligible, you will see the listing in your Unsold Items page within My eBay. Listings that are not eligible for relisting will not be visible in the Unsold Items page.

To relist your item, sign in to eBay, go to My eBay to your Unsold items, and select the item that was canceled -- it's highlighted with a yellow banner. Before relisting, please make any changes necessary to ensure that your revised listing is in compliance with the law and eBay policies. You might want to check your other listings for similar violations as well.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
eBay Trust & Safety

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