Provision record
Shopify · Shopify Acceptable Use Policy · View original document ↗

Intellectual Property and Counterfeit Goods Prohibition

High severity Common · 287 of 352 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Merchants cannot sell fake branded products, knockoffs, or any goods that copy another company's trademark, logo, or design without authorization.

This analysis describes what Shopify's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This clause establishes a contractual requirement that restricts the categories of goods permissible for sale on the platform. The restriction operates as a condition on use of Shopify's infrastructure and payment processing systems, requiring merchants to verify compliance with intellectual property law.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
4
Months Monitored
Apr 10, 2026
First Seen
Apr 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 4407 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

This clause is intended to protect consumers from purchasing counterfeit goods through Shopify stores, though enforcement depends on brand owners reporting violations and Shopify acting on those reports, which may not catch all counterfeit listings proactively.

How other platforms handle this

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Glassdoor Medium

Send messages in violation of the USA CAN-SPAM Act or any other applicable anti-spam law.

Stability AI Medium

You may not...engage in any other conduct that restricts any person from using our Services, or that we reasonably believe exposes us...to any liability, damages, or harm, including reputational harm.

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Monitoring

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Counterfeit or unauthorized goods: You may not use Shopify's Services to sell, purchase, or facilitate the sale of counterfeit goods or goods that infringe on another's intellectual property rights, including goods with unauthorized use of a trademarked brand name, logo, or design.

Excerpt from Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision engages the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 1114, 1125) on trademark infringement and counterfeiting, the Trademark Counterfeiting Act (18 U.S.C. § 2320) for criminal liability, the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 501) for copyright infringement, and DMCA notice-and-takedown procedures (17 U.S.C. § 512). The INFORM Consumers Act (effective June 2023) requires Shopify to collect and verify seller identity information, supporting IP enforcement. CBP regulations on counterfeit import interdiction (19 C.F.R. § 133) are indirectly relevant. Enforcement authority: CBP, DOJ, brand owners via civil litigation. (2)

Full institutional analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    FTC enforces against deceptive sale of counterfeit goods as unfair or deceptive trade practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal
DMCA
United States Federal
DSA
European Union

Provision details

Document information
Document
Shopify Acceptable Use Policy
Entity
Shopify
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 15, 2026
Last verified
April 10, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002655
Document ID
CA-D-00124
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
c3d037196ffbb1471c40eb696d0527749e9581d33970cdd9620dc96a8e8dfbdb
Analysis generated
March 15, 2026 12:02 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Shopify
Document: Shopify Acceptable Use Policy
Record ID: CA-P-002655
Captured: 2026-03-15 12:02:55 UTC
SHA-256: c3d037196ffbb147…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/shopify/shopify-acceptable-use-policy/provision/CA-P-002655/intellectual-property-and-counterfeit-goods-prohibition/
Accessed: July 25, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Governance intelligence across arbitration, AI governance, data rights, indemnification, and retention

Provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, and regulatory mapping built from archived source documents and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Shopify's Intellectual Property and Counterfeit Goods Prohibition clause do?

This clause establishes a contractual requirement that restricts the categories of goods permissible for sale on the platform. The restriction operates as a condition on use of Shopify's infrastructure and payment processing systems, requiring merchants to verify compliance with intellectual property law.

How does this clause affect you?

This clause is intended to protect consumers from purchasing counterfeit goods through Shopify stores, though enforcement depends on brand owners reporting violations and Shopify acting on those reports, which may not catch all counterfeit listings proactively.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 287 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Shopify?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Shopify.