Many GCA members have seen their cards being sold without permission on some online market places, particularly Temu.
As part of the GCA’s work to protect our industry we have been in discussions with GCA members who are affected, government ministers, the Intellectual Property Office and Temu themselves.
Working with Temu, on behalf of members, we have developed a guide (see download below) to getting infringed designs removed, and are running a pilot with Temu involving several GCA members. Our work has also led to media interest with the BBC and others, If you wish to join this pilot read on below and please contact us
A step change in copyright protection on Temu – and an open invitation to GCA members.
Over the past year, copyright infringement on global marketplaces has been one of the most time-consuming and emotionally draining challenges facing GCA members. Reporting infringements has too often meant repeated form-filling, slow response times and the frustration of seeing designs reappear just as quickly as they were removed.
The GCA established a dedicated working group with several affected GCA members plus GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson, Pip Heywood MD thortful and Brett Smith MD Emotional Rescue. Amanda, Pip and Brett and spoke to government, the Intellectual Property Office and also engaged directly with Temu on the industry’s behalf – and are pleased to share a genuine breakthrough.
A pilot that works – and fast
Following months of collaboration between the GCA working group and Temu’s IP protection team, a new direct pilot programme has been successfully used by GCA members.
GCA’s Amanda Fergusson and Council member Brett Smith met with Temu again on 15th December 2025 for an update, and the results speak for themselves:
- 100% resolution rate on takedown notices submitted through the pilot
- Average processing time: 0.8 business days
- Over 35,000 infringing designs removed to date
- 12 GCA member businesses already participating
- Over 200,000 works now proactively protected, meaning infringements are detected and upload refused before customers ever see them.
This is not a theoretical solution. It is a live, operational process delivering measurable outcomes. The GCA have been encouraged by Temu’s openness, responsiveness and commitment throughout this process. Temu has invested in both people and technology to ensure the pilot delivers real protection for rights holders.
From reactive takedowns to proactive protection
The key difference with this pilot is that it goes beyond one-by-one takedown requests.
Once a member’s work is reported through the pilot, Temu can add those designs into a secure IP monitoring database, enabling:
- Continuous scanning for copies across categories (not just cards)
- Faster removal of repeat infringements
- Proactive detection & rejection of infringements before upload
This shifts the burden away from creators and publishers constantly chasing infringements and towards a system that actively monitors on their behalf.
Re-issuing the guidance: how to join the pilot
For GCA members who have not yet joined, the steps are straightforward and supported:
- Confirm eligibility
You must be the rights holder (or authorised agent) for the designs you are reporting. - Use the GCA-supported Temu process
The Temu Report Infringement Guide explains the baseline reporting requirements, including how to submit copyright claims and supporting evidence. [Download below] - Opt into the pilot via the GCA
Members can be introduced to the pilot programme, enabling faster handling and proactive monitoring. To join the pilot, please contact Amanda who will link you with Fiona, the Temu lead, who can guide you through the process. - Choose how far you participate
Members remain in control. You can start small and expand over time. Those who choose to protect more of their catalogue typically see the greatest benefit.
Our recommendation
We encourage members to try the pilot with confidence. Emotional Rescue have been one of the publishers who led the pilot: MD Brett Smith stated that
“although infuriating that time has to be spent on such a negative activity, it really is a case of investing the effort. Temu have been seen to be very reactive so far and our experience is that it’s worth the reward”
Brett Smith Emotional Rescue
GCA members Amanda and Frank Mountain of Lola Designs have been some of the GCA members’ that worked with the GCA to respond to media enquiries on this issue, and have also recently been featured again on the BBC:
Lola Designs have suffered over 3,000 separate issues of IP infringement on the Temu platform. While stressful at the time, after signing up for the proactive monitoring we have now had this issue largely resolved. Good that there has been a willingness from Temu to work with the GCA, it would have been impossible to overcome this without Temu’s engagement. We would encourage other members to invest some time in this via the GCA process and do the same. Frank Mountain Lola Designs.
The pilot has been shaped by the GCA, tested by fellow members, and refined in direct partnership with Temu. It is not positioned as “finished” – feedback from participants continues to influence how it develops – but it is already a working solution.
This is a rare example of a platform, trade body, creators and publishers aligning to produce meaningful change.
We encourage members to engage, test it for themselves, and help strengthen copyright protection across our sector. Members are now reporting that the infringing listings they have reported are now being swiftly removed.
Please do use the new guide below, produced as part of this pilot, and let if you’d like to be included in the pilot; email hello@gca.cards
Amanda Fergusson CEO GCA
Background: Temu Update September 2025
Our discussions with Temu are continuing, and they have now shared a guide for GCA members, co-written by GCA member Emotional Rescue, to report infringement and secure removal of their designs – see Temu-infringement download below. Early feedback from members who have used this guide is that it’s working well, although of course initially still time consuming.
In meetings with the GCA team, CEO Amanda Fergusson, Pip Heywood, MD of Thortful and Brett Smith, co-owner of Emotional Rescue, Temu have shared details of their IP protection program, including proactive monitoring and reactive takedown processes, and say that they are keen to identify and remove repeat offenders who are selling copies, also recognising the Temu brand damage of this ongoing issue.
Temu now have software to bulk identify and remove plagiarised designs, which Emotional Rescue have been testing. Given the potential results of this process we have agreed to go ahead with a pilot with a selected number of GCA members, after which we will be able to feed back to members and Temu.
Government lobbying
GCA’s Amanda Fergusson has also written to Secretary of State for Business, Jonathan Reynolds MP, and Culture Minister, Sir Chris Bryant MP Secretary expressing our “…serious concerns about the operations of off shore online sellers such as Temu and Shein and its growing impact on British businesses. These platforms’ proliferation of plagiarised and substandard goods undermines UK creativity, intellectual property, environmental goals, and fair taxation“, and highlighting the economic and IP impact on our industry, UK High Streets and businesses across the country.
Gareth Thomas MP, Small Business and Exports Minister, has responded saying he
“recognise[s] the significant contribution of the UK’s creative industries, including the £1.5 billion greeting card sector, and we are committed to ensuring a fair, sustainable, and competitive trading environment for British businesses. As such, I am concerned by reports of unlicensed use of British designs on global e-commerce platforms, including in the greeting card sector”
And also that he is “grateful to [us] for sharing thoughts on recommended government action. Given many of your concerns and suggestions fall within the remit of other government departments, I have shared your correspondence with HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Intellectual Property Office for their consideration. “
We will continue to contact and meet with government ministers and MPs to protect the interests of the greeting card industry. If members’ local MPs are able to offer support in this area please do let us know
Amanda Fergusson GCA CEO
GCA Initial Meetings:
Many GCA members have seen their cards being sold without permission on some online market places, particularly TEMU. This issue has been covered by PGBuzz and across the media
The GCA met with both the IPO and Temu executives initially in February 2025, highlighting the issues and working to protect our industry.
The meeting was attended by GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson, GCA council member Brett Smith, co-owner of Emotional Rescue, and led by Pip Heywood, MD of Thortful and GCA member. Also attending were two members of the government IPO team and 3 senior executives from Temu. The meeting addressed the widespread copyright infringement of UK greeting card designs on the Temu platform, focusing on the challenges of design volume, subtle infringements evading detection, and repeat offenders. The GCA highlighted both the significant loss of revenue to GCA members and also the time taken to find and remove images. Temu representatives outlined their IP protection program, including proactive monitoring and reactive takedown processes. Temu stressed that they are keen to help designers protect their IP rights, they are investing more in this area and are suggesting other solutions for combating this issue; discussions are continuing.
This meeting followed a presentation by Temu at the Spring Fair in early February where GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson was the first to speak out, “Temu need to address the issues of widespread plagiarism where GCA members designs are being blatantly copied and sold by 3rd party sellers….Getting the designs taken off is like ‘whack a mole’, with greeting card publishers spending a significant amount of time working to get the copies of their cards off the platform, only for them to spring up again under another sellers name….” said Amanda
The GCA is also highlighting this issue to government. There is Guidance for Protecting Intellectual Property Rights on e-commerce stores on gov.uk, with links through to report infringements.
Thortful have also published a blog with useful advice to publishers selling through their website.
In addition McDaniels Law team, specialist Intellectual Property Solicitors and Trade Mark Attorneys, and GCA supplier members, have also taken up the issue with Temu on behalf of some GCA members: MD, Kelly Hudson, met with some of the affected publishers and help them to get designs removed.
Downloads
