Facebook and Instagram are making it easier for brands to file IP takedowns

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta is introducing new tools for brands reporting potential IP violations on Facebook and Instagram, including some that automate the process of getting posts taken down.

Using Meta’s Brand Rights Protection tool, companies can flag content that they believe runs afoul of their intellectual property, including trademark violations, copyright infringement, fake or counterfeit products, and impersonation.

Some of the new features announced this week mean that companies will get quicker results when they flag something to Instagram and Facebook. “Brands with a demonstrated history of actionable requests,” for example, could be eligible for automatic takedowns when they report content. Typically, brands or a representative flag content to platforms, which then review the request.

“To protect the integrity of our systems and prevent misuse of this feature, we will regularly audit takedown requests and may consider additional factors to determine eligibility,” Meta writes.

Meta will also recommend ads, shopping listings, and Facebook and Instagram pages for brands to review for violations, as well as an image search for companies to look for content.

Brands are vigilant across platforms for IP violations — sometimes to an overzealous degree, flagging listings or posts that don’t break any rules.

Some small businesses have complained that legitimate used products they sell get repeatedly incorrectly flagged for IP violations, resulting in removals, loss of income, or even suspended accounts. Business owners say they often have no recourse without taking the legal route and that getting posts restored is much harder than it is to get content taken down.