The Walt Disney Company has really started cracking down on all unlicensed vendors selling unlicensed Disney merchandise. They have started searching through numerous online sites and sending out “Cease and Desist” letters and shutting down these stores.
Word going around is that Disney is really cracking down on those that are selling items which are “Frozen”-related.
Disney has often looked through sites here and there, and sent out letters, but not like this. In the past few weeks, Disney is really going strong at online shops that are selling any Disney items without a license.
According to one report from Etsy, one Amazon seller actually got served with a lawsuit since their online store had such a large amount of unlicensed Disney merchandise for sale. Apparently, Amazon is even freezing their earned assets as Disney states the money is theirs.
Honestly, they’re right.
Disney has not released an official word on this situation, but I’ve known of a few sellers which have received these Cease and Desist letters, and it’s legit.
A number of online stores have started going through their inventory and deleting items that are considered to be unlicensed Disney merchandise items. Other online stores have closed up shop completely.
When a copyright or trademark is owned by someone or some company, you’d be surprised at just how much that can include – images and even words.
If you’ve recently purchased an item from an unlicensed Disney online store, you may want to check about getting your money back or cancelling your order or at least making sure it’s going to be filled. Many stores are shutting their online doors ASAP to avoid lawsuits.
Other stores are licensed and are going to be allowed to stay open. Some items may have to be removed, but there are many out there which are totally legit and legal. Make sure you know who you’re dealing with.
Join the “I’m So Disney…” group on Facebook to discuss this and many other Disney things with anyone and everyone.
Just for clarity:
It’s completely legal (in the USA at least) to resell merchandise you own. For example, if you buy a Frozen shirt from disneystore.com or At Walt Disney World, you are perfectly within your right to resell it on eBay or on your own online store at a marked up value. Disney cannot strong-arm you in shutting down your store. If you are selling legitimate Disney items that you bought from a licensed store (like Target, Toys R Us, Disney Store, Walt Disney World, etc) and they send you a cease & desist, contact a lawyer!
If you are selling UNLICENSED items (like a Frozen print-out you made at home, or a Frozen t-shirt you had made) without Disney’s permission, then you should shut it down. Lots of crafty sellers on Etsy need to watch out!