Intellectual property — TikTok's category
An intellectual-property violation means TikTok believes a listing infringes a trademark or copyright, lists a counterfeit product, or sells a brand you are not authorized to sell.
This is one of the most serious records a shop can carry. It is also one of the few with a clean paper defense: real brand authorization, or invoices proving genuine stock from an authorized source.
The first fix: Stop selling anything you cannot paper. One counterfeit finding is among the most serious records a shop can carry.
Not a correct-after-the-fact type: the routes are appeal (on a published ground) and prevention.
A policy quiz attaches to this violation type — passing it earns points back and is usually the fastest fix.
Appeals are decided on published grounds, not on effort. For this type, the grounds that match TikTok's policies are:
Not a ground: Calling a product a 'dupe' or 'inspired by' — TikTok treats dupe/knock-off claims as a listing violation on their own.
First appeal within 30 days of notification. If it is rejected, a second — final — appeal within 15 days of the rejection. Two appeals per violation, total. If your ticket shows a short deadline (12–72 hours), that clock runs first and fastest. Points from this violation reset 180 days after they landed. The full clock map.
Not sure how close this leaves you? Run the danger check with your score and this violation — it returns your distance to the next restriction and your fixes in order.
The checker above is free and always will be. The kit is the depth: the letters, the plan, and the sheets, in one place, stamped with the rules as checked October 22, 2026.
Source: TikTok Shop — Prohibited Products Policy (US) (page dated as published 2026), checked October 22, 2026. Read it on TikTok's site.