By Johnson & Phung PLLC | Patent & Trademark Law | St. Paul, MN | Updated May 2026
Temu has become one of the most discussed platforms in brand protection — both for its explosive growth and for the counterfeiting concerns that have followed it. Temu and Shein have faced increased attention and government scrutiny over alleged IP theft and counterfeiting , and major brands have pursued litigation over counterfeit products on the platform.
In response, Temu has built a multi-layered brand protection system: an IP Protection Portal, a Brand Registry, and the Brand Guardian Initiative (BGI). Temu now resolves more than 99% of requests to remove unauthorized products within three business days — most in under 24 hours.  And the foundation of all of it, as on every platform, is a registered trademark.
These 10 questions cover what Temu’s brand protection system actually is, what a trademark does for protection on Temu, how to enroll and report, the Brand Guardian Initiative, and what to do if you do not yet have a trademark.
Quick Reference: How Temu Brand Protection Works
Temu offers three connected systems: the IP Protection Portal (for reporting infringement), the Brand Registry (for streamlined repeat reporting), and the Brand Guardian Initiative (an enhanced proactive protection program).
Launched in April 2024, Temu’s Brand Guardian Initiative now includes more than 1,500 brands and enables brand owners to upload their trademarks, logos, and product images directly into Temu’s detection system, access one-on-one support for complex cases, and receive regular enforcement reports.
A registered trademark is the foundation. Reporting trademark infringement and enrolling in Temu’s brand programs requires demonstrating IP ownership, with a registered trademark providing the strongest position.
1. What is “Temu Brand Registry” and how does Temu brand protection work?
Unlike some platforms, Temu actually does use the term “Brand Registry” — but it sits within a broader, multi-layered brand protection system. Temu offers three connected components:
The IP Protection Portal is the primary reporting mechanism. Brand owners can report violations through Temu’s IP Protection Portal. This is where you submit takedown requests for infringing listings.
The Brand Registry streamlines repeat reporting. To get more visibility, you can sign up for Temu’s Brand Registry. Once you join, you can submit your IP information only once and then report pages with a simpler process.
The Brand Guardian Initiative (BGI) is the enhanced, proactive program. The Brand Guardian Initiative proactively embeds trademark and other IP assets into Temu’s protection system for quicker spotting and removal of suspected violations.
Temu’s overall enforcement approach is comprehensive and multi-stage. Before sellers can list products, they must agree to policies that explicitly prohibit IP infringement. An identity-verification system checks documents for forgery and cross-references seller information against lists of previously banned sellers and government sanctions lists. Temu’s monitoring system combines algorithms with human review and screens for potential infringements before products go live and after they appear on the site and app.
The result, according to Temu, is strong resolution performance: the number of brands Temu actively scans for fakes has grown from 3,000 to more than 5,000 over the past year, and Temu now resolves more than 99% of requests to remove unauthorized products within three business days — most in under 24 hours.
2. Do I need a trademark to protect my brand on Temu?
To enforce trademark rights and access Temu’s brand programs effectively, yes. Temu’s brand protection system is built around demonstrated IP ownership, and a registered trademark is the strongest and most straightforward basis.
When you report infringement, you provide your IP registration details, including the trademark or copyright registration number and the name of the IP rights holder, and upload supporting documents such as trademark certificates, copyright registrations, or cease-and-desist notices.
Temu’s enforcement covers multiple IP types. You can report trademark infringement — choosing whether the product page or packaging uses your trademark or the physical product is a counterfeit — and report design infringement by providing a detailed design description or file.
The practical reality mirrors every other platform: the type of protection you can enforce depends on the IP you own. A registered trademark lets you enforce against misuse of your brand name and logo — the core of brand protection. Copyright protects your original images and content. Design patents protect distinctive product appearance.
For Temu specifically, the trademark matters even more than the platform’s reporting tools, because Temu has faced significant counterfeiting volume. IP infringement is rife on the site, with unauthorized sellers using images, logos, or even product names associated with specific brands to falsely purport that they are selling authentic goods. A registered trademark gives you the legal standing to compel removal and, if necessary, to pursue infringers in court.
3. What is Temu’s Brand Guardian Initiative (BGI) and should I join it?
The Brand Guardian Initiative is Temu’s flagship proactive brand protection program — and for brands facing meaningful counterfeiting on the platform, it offers significant advantages over the basic reporting portal.
Launched in April 2024, Temu’s Brand Guardian Initiative now includes more than 1,500 brands and enables brand owners to upload their trademarks, logos, and product images directly into Temu’s detection system, access one-on-one support for complex cases, and receive regular enforcement reports.
The key distinction from basic reporting is that BGI is proactive rather than purely reactive. The programme proactively embeds trademark and other IP assets into its protection system for quicker spotting and removal of suspected violations. BGI serves brands whether or not they are selling on the platform, providing each with a dedicated representative for one-on-one support through tutorials, takedown help, and handling of complex IP cases.
That last point is important: BGI serves brands whether or not they are selling on the platform.  Most U.S. brands do not sell on Temu — they are dealing with counterfeits of their products appearing there. BGI is designed for exactly that situation, giving brands that do not sell on Temu the tools and dedicated support to protect against counterfeiters.
How BGI fits into Temu’s broader approach: the programme is part of Temu’s broader IP enforcement approach, which includes comprehensive seller vetting and compliance training, 24/7 algorithmic monitoring paired with manual review, a dedicated IP protection portal and brand registry to streamline takedown submissions, and an internal enforcement team that handles claims efficiently.
For a brand facing recurring counterfeiting on Temu, BGI’s proactive embedding of your IP into the detection system — combined with a dedicated representative — offers materially better protection than filing individual reports through the basic portal.
4. How do I report counterfeit or infringing listings on Temu?
Temu’s IP Protection Portal provides a structured reporting process. The steps:
Provide your IP registration details, including the trademark or copyright registration number and the name of the IP rights holder. Upload supporting documents — proof of ownership such as trademark certificates, copyright registrations, or cease-and-desist notices. Submit and monitor your report by tracking the status of your complaint through your IP Portal dashboard.
When you file, you specify the type of infringement. Report trademark infringement: choose whether the product page or packaging uses your trademark or the physical product is a counterfeit. Report design infringement: provide a detailed design description or a file. After you add all the details, you’ll verify your email address and submit the form. You’ll see notifications in your Temu account of the complaint status. Temu’s support team will also let you know if the seller files a counterclaim and you need to supply more information.
To find the reporting tools: locate IP Portal links under “What is Temu’s intellectual property policy?” and “How to report intellectual property infringement?”
A realistic note on enforcement: if your complaint is valid, Temu should remove the infringing listings. However, enforcement can be inconsistent, so it does require persistent monitoring.  Given the volume of listings on Temu, ongoing monitoring and repeated reporting are often necessary — which is precisely why the Brand Registry’s streamlined repeat-reporting and the Brand Guardian Initiative’s proactive detection offer significant advantages over one-off manual reports.
5. What is the difference between Temu’s IP Portal, Brand Registry, and Brand Guardian Initiative?
Understanding the three tiers helps you choose the right level of engagement for your situation.
IP Protection Portal — the baseline reporting tool. This is the entry-level mechanism available to any rights holder. Brand owners can report violations through Temu’s IP Protection Portal. You submit IP documentation with each complaint and track status through the dashboard. Best for: occasional, one-off infringement reports.
Brand Registry — streamlined repeat reporting. Once you join, you can submit your IP information only once and then report pages with a simpler process. This eliminates the need to re-upload your IP documentation with every complaint, making it significantly more efficient for brands that report regularly. Best for: brands dealing with ongoing, recurring infringement.
Brand Guardian Initiative — proactive protection plus dedicated support. BGI proactively embeds trademark and other IP assets into the protection system for quicker spotting and removal, provides each brand with a dedicated representative for one-on-one support, and includes handling of complex IP cases.  Best for: brands facing significant, persistent counterfeiting who need proactive detection and hands-on support.
The progression is logical: as your counterfeiting problem grows from occasional to recurring to significant, you move from the IP Portal to the Brand Registry to the Brand Guardian Initiative. For most established brands facing real counterfeiting on Temu, BGI’s proactive embedding and dedicated support deliver the strongest protection.
6. What happens after I file a report, and what if the seller files a counterclaim?
After you submit a valid report, Temu reviews it and, if validated, removes the infringing listing. Temu now resolves more than 99% of requests to remove unauthorized products within three business days — most in under 24 hours.
The reported seller has the right to dispute the removal through a counterclaim. Temu’s support team will let you know if the seller files a counterclaim and you need to supply more information. You’ll see notifications in your Temu account of the complaint status.
This is where the strength of your underlying IP becomes decisive. A counterclaim challenges your enforcement, and your ability to maintain the takedown depends on the strength of your documentation and rights. A registered federal trademark with a clear certificate, unambiguous class coverage, and strong evidence of infringement gives you a far more defensible position than a weak or common-law claim.
For brands enrolled in the Brand Guardian Initiative, the dedicated representative provides support precisely for these complex cases. BGI provides each brand with a dedicated representative for one-on-one support through tutorials, takedown help, and handling of complex IP cases. When a counterclaim escalates a matter, having that dedicated support — and strong underlying IP — is what carries the enforcement through.
The realistic expectation is that persistent counterfeiters will sometimes contest takedowns or relaunch under new listings. Brands should regularly monitor the marketplace for unauthorized sellers and counterfeit products.  Consistent monitoring and re-reporting, backed by strong registered IP, is the enforcement reality on high-volume platforms like Temu.
7. What types of IP infringement can I enforce against on Temu?
Temu’s brand protection system handles the major categories of intellectual property infringement, integrating them directly into its detection systems.
Temu integrates copyright, trademark, and patent information into its detection system, blocking problematic listings before the company has to report them.
Trademark infringement: Unauthorized use of your registered brand name, logo, or slogan in listings, on product pages, or on packaging. You choose whether the product page or packaging uses your trademark.
Counterfeit: Physical products that imitate your authentic goods. You report whether the physical product is a counterfeit. This is the most common and most damaging scenario on Temu given its product mix and pricing model.
Design / design patent infringement: You can report design infringement by providing a detailed design description or a file. This covers products that copy the distinctive appearance of your designs.
Copyright: Unauthorized use of your original images, descriptions, and creative content.
The integration of these IP types into Temu’s AI detection system is a meaningful enforcement multiplier. Temu integrated one company’s copyright, trademark, and patent information into its detection system, blocking problematic listings before the company has to report them. By registering your IP through the Brand Registry or Brand Guardian Initiative, you are not just enabling your own reports — you are training Temu’s detection systems to proactively catch infringement automatically.
For brands facing the “replica” evasion tactic — counterfeiters copying product appearance without using the exact brand name — a layered IP portfolio matters. A trademark stops listings using your name; a design patent stops listings copying your product’s look under any name; copyright stops listings copying your images. Together they close the gaps.
8. How does Temu brand protection compare to Amazon, Walmart, and other platforms?
For brands enforcing across multiple platforms, Temu’s approach has both distinctive features and familiar foundations.
Temu is primarily an enforcement target, not a selling platform, for most U.S. brands. Like AliExpress, most U.S. brands interact with Temu’s brand protection system to remove counterfeits of their products — not to sell. Temu’s BGI explicitly accommodates this: BGI serves brands whether or not they are selling on the platform.
Temu’s three-tier structure is distinctive. The progression from IP Portal to Brand Registry to Brand Guardian Initiative gives brands escalating levels of protection matched to the severity of their counterfeiting problem — a more graduated structure than most platforms offer.
Resolution speed is competitive. Resolving more than 99% of requests within three business days, most in under 24 hours is comparable to or faster than many other platforms.
Temu faces heightened scrutiny. Temu has faced government inquiry and litigation over alleged IP theft and counterfeiting. This regulatory and litigation pressure has pushed Temu to build out its brand protection systems aggressively — which works to the advantage of brands enforcing on the platform, since Temu has strong incentives to demonstrate responsive enforcement.
The shared foundation is identical. As on every platform, the strength of your enforcement depends on the strength of your registered IP. A registered federal trademark, supplemented by design patents and copyright registrations, is the foundation for enforcement on Temu, AliExpress, Amazon, Walmart, and everywhere else your brand is being copied.
The strategic point for brand owners: build one IP portfolio anchored by a federal trademark, then enroll in the appropriate brand protection program on each platform where your products are being counterfeited. A coordinated multi-platform enforcement strategy — pursuing the same infringers across every platform they operate on — is far more effective than treating each platform in isolation.
9. Can I use Temu’s brand protection if I don’t sell on Temu?
Yes — and this is one of the most important points for U.S. brand owners to understand. Most legitimate brands do not sell on Temu, but their products are frequently counterfeited there. Temu’s brand protection programs are explicitly designed to serve these brands.
BGI serves brands whether or not they are selling on the platform, providing each with a dedicated representative for one-on-one support through tutorials, takedown help, and handling of complex IP cases.
This means a U.S. brand that has never sold a single product on Temu can still:
• Register its IP through the IP Protection Portal and Brand Registry
• Enroll in the Brand Guardian Initiative for proactive protection and dedicated support
• Have its trademarks, logos, and product images embedded in Temu’s detection system to catch counterfeits automatically
• Submit takedown requests against counterfeit and infringing listings
For the typical U.S. brand owner, this is the most relevant use case for Temu’s brand protection system. You are not protecting your own listings — you are removing counterfeits of your products that are damaging your sales and brand reputation. The Brand Guardian Initiative helps Temu create a safer, more trustworthy shopping experience and work with brands to protect their IP on the platform.
The threshold requirement to access these protections is demonstrated IP ownership — most importantly, a registered trademark. Without it, your ability to enforce against Temu counterfeiters is significantly limited regardless of which program you would otherwise qualify for.
10. What should brand owners do right now to protect their brand on Temu?
Whether Temu counterfeits are already harming your sales or you want to get ahead of the risk, the protective steps follow a clear priority.
Step 1 — Register a U.S. federal trademark. This is the foundation of your brand rights and your enforcement basis on Temu and every other platform. Conduct a clearance search to confirm your brand name is available, then file a standard character word mark in the classes covering your products. The current USPTO base filing fee as of the publication of this article is $350 per class. Without a registered trademark, your ability to enforce against Temu counterfeiters is limited.
Step 2 — Build a layered IP portfolio. Because Temu counterfeiters often copy product appearance without using your exact brand name, supplement your trademark with design patents (protecting distinctive product appearance) and copyright registrations (protecting your images and original content). This closes the gaps that trademark-only protection leaves open.
Step 3 — Enroll in the appropriate Temu brand protection program. Start by registering your IP through the IP Protection Portal. If you face recurring infringement, join the Brand Registry to streamline repeat reporting. If you face significant, persistent counterfeiting, apply to the Brand Guardian Initiative for proactive detection and a dedicated representative — available whether or not you sell on Temu.
Step 4 — Embed your IP in Temu’s detection system. By uploading your trademarks, logos, and product images through the Brand Registry or BGI, you train Temu’s AI detection to proactively catch counterfeits — protection that extends beyond the complaints you file yourself.
Step 5 — Monitor and enforce consistently. Regularly monitor the marketplace for unauthorized sellers and counterfeit products. Aggressively enforce your intellectual property rights — registering trademarks, copyrights, and patents, and taking swift action against violations. Given Temu’s volume and the realistic inconsistency of enforcement, persistent monitoring and re-reporting are necessary.
Step 6 — Consider coordinated multi-platform enforcement. Counterfeiters who appear on Temu frequently appear on AliExpress, Amazon, and other platforms as well. A coordinated strategy — pursuing the same infringers across every platform, backed by the same registered IP portfolio — is far more effective than platform-by-platform whack-a-mole.
The counterfeiting risk on Temu is real, significant, and has drawn government and litigation attention. The registered trademark and broader IP portfolio that unlock Temu’s brand protection programs are not optional for any brand whose products are being counterfeited there. They are the legal foundation that makes removal possible — on Temu, across every other platform, and in court if it comes to that. For a brand serious about protecting what it has built, that foundation is the single most important investment available.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. IP law is highly fact-specific — contact a licensed patent attorney to discuss your particular situation. Johnson & Phung PLLC is a registered patent and trademark law firm.
Johnson & Phung PLLC | Patent & Trademark Law | St. Paul, Minnesota
We are a Twin Cities patent law firm and Twin Cities trademark law firm that has been committed to helping clients with their Patent, Trademark, and Intellectual Property Law needs in Minneapolis, St. Paul, the Twin Cities metro area, Duluth, Mora, Rochester, Mankato and all of greater Minnesota for over 40 years. All of our Minnesota patent attorneys and trademark attorneys are registered patent attorneys with each having over 20 years of experience."
