Is this a legitimate email from Shopify?

[HotHeadstalls]

I’ve at some times received scammy emails  fake emails trying to be Shopify’. But I’m not sure is this one is legitimate. Any help or recommendations? I can’t have my store shut down. It’s the sole income for my husband and I.

email is from 

risk-management@shopify.com

 

[Darkruler]

I received this email this AM and shopify chat confirmed mine is real. It has the exact same wording as yours. I actually made a post about it and another seller also said they received it.

[LoriJean67]

I received one also.  I sent a screenshot to Shopify Support and I'm waiting for them to confirm it for me.  I'll post as soon as I hear back from them.  

[LoriJean67]

I received confirmation that the email sent is in fact sent from Shopify.  

[Sjstyles]

I received the same thing as well. Working on how to handle it. I was wondering if this is an automated message if a store is opened for a certain period of time. When did you first launch your shopify store?

[LoriJean67]

I've had my website for almost 4 years now.  

[Sjstyles]

Wow. Iv had mine for 2. What are your possible plans of action here? 

[LoriJean67]

I had a few products that I thought were borderline infringement so I will just remove them.   The Attestation for the sale of branded or trademarked products link in the email goes to a form you need to fill out.  For me I will just check off that I have deleted the products.  If you have documentation that you have the right to sell branded products then you would have to show them proof of that.  

[Sjstyles]

Ok, very interesting. Do you others that went through the rest of the process? And know what the end result was? (Meaning is this a shopify PAYMENTS issue, or selling on shopify altogether?)

[LoriJean67]

I don't think it has anything to do with Shopify payments.  Either someone reported your website or Shopify stumbled upon it and noticed that the item you are selling is branded with a trademark.  They want to make sure that you are authorized to be a distributor for that product.  If you are not then legally you are not allowed to sell it and the item has to be removed.  That's how I understand it.   

[LoriJean67]

If you are authorized then supplying them with paperwork that says so should clear up your issue.

[Shay]

Hi @HotHeadstalls and fellow merchants,

I understand that some of you have recently received email notifications from Shopify's Trust and Safety team and have some questions about what this means and the next steps. While I don't work with that team directly and I am not able to confirm what products could be affected by your notices, I can share some general information with you.

Licensed, branded or trademarked products have legal protection to ensure that the unique brand's integrity is maintained. Some examples that we see frequently is products being sold with name brands like Disney, NFL/NHL/MLB etc and luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Dolce and Gabbana. Unless you are a licensed reseller you are generally not allowed to sell products under these brand names. Even second hand, you need a special reseller license usually to do so. To learn more about this, I would recommend reaching out to a local small business legal representative to better understand the laws in your area. 

If you continue to sell licensed products on your store without the appropriate license or proof that you are eligible to sell these items then our Trust and Safety team may need to close the account to stop further sales. If you are unsure what products are being targeted you can reply back to the email you received. Keep in mind that our T&S team can take up to 2-3 business days to reply back and that regardless of that, action does need to be taken on those products and the attestation needs to be filled out by the deadline provided. 

@Sjstyles - You asked if this was an automated message that gets sent out to all merchants and if this is in relation to Shopify Payments or the Shopify platform itself.

You will only receive this email if the systems we have in place believe that your store is carrying a product that you should not be. Please make sure to reply back to your email and fill out your attestation form!

This message is in relation to both Shopify Payments and the Shopify platform. If you are selling items without the proper license, that could be considered an illegal use of a trademark/copyright which we can't allow on the Shopify platform. Also, certain brand name items can be considered high risk sales and may not be supported with Shopify Payments as well. 

Please feel free to ask any other questions you have about this email you received and I will do my best to assist you.

-Shay

[LoriJean67]

Thank you @Shay for clearing that up for us.

[Sjstyles]

Thanks @Shay , for your clear explanation!

[Luis_Carpio]

Just got thiz email.

I sell used video games so I'm thinking that maybe its because I have Nintendo, PlayStation Xbox etc.

I do however have a resellers licensd plus a permit to buy and sell (pawn shop type license)

Am I ok with that?

[LoriJean67]

If you have paperwork that allows you to sell branded material then you will most likely have to show them that paperwork.  Follow the link in the email.  You have various options to choose from when you reply to their email so select the option that pertains to your situation.  

[khaldone]

Hello Sir;

I am wondering how it is illegal to sell branded or trademarks online if I bought it legally and it is authentic goods? what happened to the "First Sale Doctrine" law??

it was clear that you are not required  or need a reseller license or permit to resell authentic products you bought legally:

The First Sale Doctrine in Trademark Law

The first sale doctrine allows the resale of items bearing a trademark, such as a logo or brand name, after the trademark owner has sold those items, unless this is likely to confuse or deceive consumers. The U.S. Supreme Court applied the first sale doctrine to trademark law in Prestonettes, Inc. v. Coty, 264 U.S. 359 (1924).

The defendant in Prestonettes bought a product from the plaintiff, packaged it with other ingredients, and sold it to consumers. The packaging for the defendant’s product used the plaintiff’s trademarked name to indicate that the plaintiff’s product was included. The court held that this did not violate the plaintiff’s trademark rights.

As we understand you trying to protect consumers from fake products and protect yourselves from possible law suits from Trademark owners, This is very important topic for lot of stores that got affected by Shopify actions, , but  please advise us regarding this matter with much appreciation.

[Jaime_Chamberla]

It does seem that many intellectual property holders have begun to be abusing the guidelines of the First Sale Doctrine. I recognize the very real concerns of black and grey market material from overseas factories producing an excess of licensed properties. We sell licensed products (largely Star Wars and Star Trek), but most of these items have been out of production for 30+ years and have been purchased on the secondary market from collectors or old shop stock. I received this form email today, with reference to a specific product they have now removed. 

Reading over the form, I can truthfully attest that we are within acceptable boundaries on this. But if Shopify starts going the direction of Amazon with this and requiring us to provide invoices to prove we are somehow approved to sell items from companies that often no longer exist, this would shut us down. We have largely moved off Amazon as a platform since it simply isn't possible (not just for us, but any vendor) to prove an original purchase invoice for a product that hasn't been in production for 20 years. 

[keoholo]

I received this email this morning> I was panic and submitted the attestatition a few times. I'm just wondering how did yours goes? 

[keoholo]

@HotHeadstalls I received this email this morning as well. I was panic and submitted the attestation a few times. I'm just wondering how did your goes?