Introduction
Protecting your store from copyright violations is essential to maintaining a healthy seller account and avoiding restrictions on platforms like eBay. Copyright violations occur when you list products that use trademarked brands, copyrighted terms, or restricted keywords without proper authorization. These violations can result in account suspensions, listing removals, and serious penalties that affect your dropshipping business.
To minimize risk and ensure maximum protection, AutoDS offers two complementary tools: the built-in VERO Protection System and a customizable keyword blocklist that you can maintain yourself.
Benefits
Using the AutoDS VERO Protection System and the keyword blocklist feature to prevent copyright violations provides multiple advantages for your store:
Protect your store from listing products with copyrighted, trademarked, or brand-restricted terms that could trigger copyright violations.
Prevent account restrictions by avoiding eBay VERO violations and restrictions from other selling channels before they impact your business.
Reduce takedown risks by automatically filtering out items with a high risk of copyright violations or intellectual property claims.
Save time by automatically blocking unwanted or risky listings before they're imported, eliminating the need for manual review.
Maintain account health by keeping your seller account in good standing and reducing the risk of suspensions related to copyright violations.
Customize your protection by blocking specific brands, terms, or sensitive keywords relevant to your business and market, beyond the automated VERO list.
AutoDS VERO Protection System
The AutoDS VERO Protection System is designed to protect your store from copyright violations by maintaining the largest and most up-to-date VERO protection list in the industry. This system automatically blocks restricted items during the upload process, helping you avoid listing products that could trigger copyright violations or account restrictions.
The VERO protection list includes several categories of restricted content:
eBay's VERO program brands: Brands that are part of eBay's Verified Rights Owner (VERO) program, updated regularly to reflect current restrictions.
Copyrighted brands: Brands copyrighted by their owners that require authorization to list, protecting you from copyright violations.
Prohibited items: Specific items restricted by selling platforms, such as "knife" or "alcohol," which cannot be listed under certain conditions.
Blocked categories: Entire product categories that are restricted, such as medical items or other sensitive product types.
The AutoDS VERO Protection System is updated regularly to ensure you have the most current protection against copyright violations. Updates come from two main sources:
User reports: AutoDS users report potential copyright violations through support channels, helping to identify new restricted terms.
Weekly scans: The system performs weekly scans of VERO violation messages from platforms, automatically adding newly restricted brands and terms.
Important: While the AutoDS VERO Protection System provides comprehensive protection, brand and copyright violations are highly dynamic. New brands are added to restriction lists constantly, and no automated system can guarantee full protection against all potential copyright violations. To minimize risk and ensure maximum protection, AutoDS strongly recommends that you maintain your own keyword blocklist, adding any specific brands, terms, or keywords relevant to your store.
How VERO detection works during product uploads
When you attempt to upload a product, the AutoDS VERO Protection System automatically scans the product information for restricted brands and keywords that could trigger copyright violations. If the system detects a VERO-listed term in the product title, description, or manufacturer field, the draft creation will fail to protect your account from potential copyright violations.
This automatic blocking prevents restricted items from entering your store, ensuring that products with known copyright violations never reach your selling platform. The system acts as a first line of defense, catching violations before they can impact your account health.
The following image shows an example of a draft creation failure when the AutoDS VERO Protection System detects a restricted keyword that could trigger copyright violations.
To learn more about how product uploads work and how to manage variations after upload, click here to read the complete product uploads guide.
Bypassing VERO protection (⚠️ risky)
In some cases, you may believe that a product has been incorrectly flagged for copyright violations and want to bypass the VERO protection to upload it. AutoDS provides a bypass option, but this feature should be used with extreme caution as it carries significant risks to your account.
To bypass VERO protection and upload a blocked item:
Try uploading the item again after it has been blocked through bulk.
Click the arrow beside the Next step button.
Go to Edit Upload Settings in the menu.
Click Edit under Supplier Settings.
In the pop-up window, check the Allow Vero/Blocked Keywords checkbox.
Add the product to your drafts.
Your item will now be uploaded despite the VERO alert, bypassing the copyright violation protection.
Important: Bypassing VERO protection is extremely risky and may lead to account restrictions, suspensions, or permanent bans if the product actually contains copyright violations. The VERO Protection System exists to protect your account, and disabling it removes this safety measure. By bypassing the block, you accept full responsibility for any copyright violations, listing removals, or account penalties that may result.
VERO alert types: warning vs. critical
The AutoDS VERO Protection System uses two types of alerts to help you identify different levels of copyright violation risk inside the Products page. Understanding these alerts allows you to assess the severity of potential violations and take appropriate action.
There are two types of alerts in AutoDS:
Warning alerts: A yellow exclamation mark appears when a VERO-restricted word is detected in the product title or description.
The following image shows an example of a warning alert indicating a potential copyright violation in the product title or description.
Critical alerts: A red exclamation mark appears when a VERO-restricted word is detected in the manufacturer field of the product. This represents a higher risk because manufacturer fields typically contain brand names, making it more likely that the item has copyright restrictions.
The following image shows an example of a critical alert indicating a VERO-restricted term detected in the manufacturer field.
You can learn more about the Products page, where VERO alerts are displayed, by clicking here.
Keyword blocklist feature
The keyword blocklist feature is a customizable protection tool that allows you to add your own specific brands, terms, and keywords to prevent copyright violations in your store.
While the AutoDS VERO Protection System provides automated protection with thousands of pre-loaded restricted terms, the keyword blocklist gives you direct control over additional restrictions relevant to your business, market, or selling experience.
This feature is especially valuable for protecting against newer brands that haven't been added to the automated VERO list yet, niche violations specific to your product categories, regional restrictions that may not be globally recognized, or brands where you've previously experienced copyright violations or listing removals. By maintaining your own keyword blocklist, you create a personalized layer of protection that complements the automated system.
Creating your custom keyword blocklist
The keyword blocklist works by scanning product information during the upload process, just like the VERO Protection System. However, instead of relying solely on AutoDS's centralized list, it applies your custom rules to block, modify, or flag products containing your specified keywords.
This combination of automated and manual protection provides the most comprehensive defense against copyright violations, ensuring that both widely known and niche restrictions are caught before products reach your store.
To create and manage your custom keyword blocklist:
Go to your Settings in your AutoDS account.
Open the Keywords tab.
Click + Add Keywords.
Enter each keyword or brand name you want to restrict, with one entry per line.
Define an action for each keyword based on where it appears in the product information:
Do nothing: The product uploads without any changes.
Don't upload the product: Blocks the upload entirely to prevent copyright violations.
Delete from uploaded text: Removes the restricted keyword from the product title before upload.
Click Save to apply your blocklist rules.
The system will immediately begin applying these restrictions to all future product uploads, helping you maintain consistent protection against copyright violations.
Upload behavior with blocklisted keywords
The way your keyword blocklist affects product uploads depends on the upload method you use. Understanding this system behavior helps you anticipate how the system will handle restricted keywords and manage your product workflow effectively to prevent copyright violations.
Upload method | System behavior |
Drafts | If a restricted keyword is detected and the action is set to Don't upload the product, the item will still appear in Drafts, but with a warning notification.
This gives you the opportunity to review the issue, edit the product to remove the copyright violation, or make a decision about whether to publish. |
Imported directly to the store | If the action is set to Don't upload the product, the upload will fail completely. The system blocks the listing immediately due to restricted keywords detected in the title, description, or manufacturer fields.
This prevents products with potential copyright violations from entering your store automatically, protecting your account from unintentional violations. |
Click here to learn more about uploading products to your store with AutoDS using all available methods.
Troubleshooting and possible issues
While the AutoDS VERO Protection System and the keyword blocklist feature provide comprehensive protection against copyright violations, you may occasionally encounter situations where the system behavior differs from your expectations.
The table below outlines common scenarios and their solutions, helping you maintain effective protection while managing your product uploads smoothly.
Issue | Workaround |
I uploaded a new product, I'm sure it's VERO, but I was not warned. | The system does not provide alerts before upload. Instead, it prevents the product from uploading if it detects copyright violations.
If you believe an item should be added to the VERO list because it represents a copyright violation, contact AutoDS support with evidence such as an eBay warning screenshot. |
I uploaded from the Finder and received a VERO violation from eBay. | The AutoDS Finder feature uses eBay's category suggestions by default. If eBay miscategorizes a product, such as placing adult products in incorrect categories, the AutoDS VERO Protection System cannot block it based on category alone.
To prevent these risky uploads and avoid copyright violations, use your own keyword blocklist to add specific terms related to problematic categories or products. This provides an additional layer of protection beyond automated category detection. |
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How does the AutoDS VERO Protection System get updated?
How does the AutoDS VERO Protection System get updated?
The AutoDS VERO Protection System is updated regularly through two main sources. First, AutoDS users report potential copyright violations through support channels, helping identify new restricted terms. Second, the system performs weekly scans of VERO violation messages from selling platforms, automatically adding newly restricted brands and terms to the protection list. This combination ensures the list stays current with the latest copyright restrictions.
Why was the VERO product not blocked before I uploaded it?
Why was the VERO product not blocked before I uploaded it?
The AutoDS VERO Protection System blocks uploads containing VERO terms and copyright violations rather than providing warnings beforehand. The system prevents restricted products from entering your store by failing the upload when violations are detected.
If you encounter an item that you believe should be blocked because it represents a copyright violation, you can report it to AutoDS Support with evidence such as screenshots of eBay warnings or restriction notices. The support team will review the item and add it to the VERO protection list if it qualifies.
Is it safe to bypass VERO protection?
Is it safe to bypass VERO protection?
Bypassing VERO protection is extremely risky and may lead to account restrictions, suspensions, or permanent bans if the product actually contains copyright violations. The VERO Protection System exists to protect your account, and disabling it removes this safety measure. By bypassing the block, you accept full responsibility for any copyright violations, listing removals, or account penalties that may result. Only use the bypass feature if you are absolutely certain the product does not violate any copyrights, trademarks, or brand restrictions.
Can I use the keyword blocklist to block entire categories or suppliers?
Can I use the keyword blocklist to block entire categories or suppliers?
The keyword blocklist is designed to block specific keywords, brand names, and terms that appear in product titles, descriptions, or manufacturer fields. While you can add keywords related to certain categories or suppliers, the feature works by scanning for text matches rather than blocking entire categories or supplier sources. To block products effectively, add the most common keywords, brand names, or terms associated with the categories or suppliers you want to avoid.
How many keywords can I add to my blocklist?
How many keywords can I add to my blocklist?
There is no specific limit to the number of keywords you can add to your custom keyword blocklist. You can add as many brands, terms, and keywords as needed to protect your store from copyright violations. However, it's recommended to focus on the most relevant and high-risk terms for your business to maintain an effective and manageable blocklist.
Can I edit or delete keywords from my blocklist after adding them?
Can I edit or delete keywords from my blocklist after adding them?
You can edit or delete keywords from your blocklist at any time by going to Settings and opening the Keywords tab in your AutoDS account. This allows you to update your protection strategy as new brands emerge, restrictions change, or you identify keywords that are causing false blocks. Modifying your blocklist takes effect immediately for all future uploads.
What does it mean when eBay blocks my account for brand misuse?
What does it mean when eBay blocks my account for brand misuse?
Brand misuse occurs when you list an item using a brand name that doesn't belong to that product. For example, if you sell a generic pink pig doll but use the term "Peppa Pig" in your listing, eBay considers this brand misuse because you're associating a trademarked brand with an unrelated product. This is different from copyright violations related to VERO, as brand misuse is a mislabeling problem rather than listing an actually restricted brand. To avoid brand misuse, ensure that you only use brand names when the product is genuinely made by or authorized by that brand.
What should I do if I receive an MC011 restriction on my eBay account?
What should I do if I receive an MC011 restriction on my eBay account?
The MC011 restriction is a serious eBay account limitation often related to multiple policy violations, including copyright violations, that can significantly impact your selling ability.
AutoDS has published detailed resources with tips and methods on how to handle MC011 restrictions and work toward account recovery.
These resources include: