ACID could never have predicted 12 months ago the communication opportunities that would open up and steps forward that would be made with global marketplace giant, TEMU.
Yet, on 17th February 2026 ACID members and TEMU representatives met again as part of our now established regular reviews to discuss progress since the last meeting in October 2025, any further feedback or difficulties encountered by our members, and TEMU’s responses to these along with any process improvements.
It was deeply encouraging to witness the positive mood amongst ACID members towards TEMU’s response to them, which has resulted in considerable reduction of take downs. Not only were exact images being removed, but those very similar or which had been altered were also being identified by TEMU’s increasingly vigilant approaches. Whilst TEMU’s reputation amongst UK designers and creatives is going to remain negative for quite some time, their willingness to come to the table is laudable.
TEMU were keen to express their desire to make small business assistance a priority in 2026 and this is where ACID is in a privileged position. Our diverse membership can benefit from direct access to TEMU’s IP protection team by mentioning they are a member of ACID. Providing IP proof such as your ACID IP Databank certificate, means a faster take down along with ACID members’ IP feeding into a developing proactive IP monitoring system designed to recognise and disable infringements at the point of onboarding. This means far less policing the platform and vital time from your business being lost to repeated whack-a-mole reporting of infringements. Our members testified that they receive a great deal of direct support as a result of this ACID/TEMU relationship, though many of their non-member contacts remain facing multitudes of copies.
More IP needs to be shared, more evidence of ownership needs to be actively recorded and more images fed into TEMU’s algorithms to ensure the copycats now evolving their infringement approaches through AI doctored imagery aren’t getting away with it. The problem is, as we know, when running a business you are everything in that business. There aren’t enough hours in the day and days in the week to keep reporting, uploading and sharing. As ACID CEO Laura Newbold Breen told TEMU, they need to “think like an infringer” to stay one step ahead and provide small businesses with the support they need.
On the subject of seller onboarding, and repeat infringer selling, TEMU’s position was also encouraging. Price points have become a key factor in assessing potential infringements, and rights-holders can advise TEMU of their lowest retail pricing to further bolster their brand protection. Any pricing not in accordance with this advice is then fed in to an overall monitoring alongside IP. TEMU also actively encourage sharing any information even if an infringement has not occurred, to ensure that they can monitor the marketplace as proactively as possible. So, for anyone bringing new designs to the market in 2026, it is very much worth considering.
Of course, the proof of any pudding is in the eating. Concerns remain on the prevalence of copies and fakes on TEMU overall, and the astoundingly low shipping fees offered alongside already paltry sale prices. ACID understands this is due to a global consolidated shipping approach which is, frankly, impossible for a small UK business to compete with. This crucial point will certainly be on the agenda for our next discussion.
Ever on the agenda is also the issue of product compliance and the simple truth that fakes and copies are, more than likely, unsafe or non-compliant. TEMU have stated they are focused on raising the bar for product safety across the e-commerce industry, most recently forming a partnership with renowned automotive compliance and testing and certification organisation, DEKRA. ACID understands this partnership joins many others, including TUV and SGS. Having recently covered the anticipated changes to EU Toy Safety regulations which, amongst many forthcoming sector compliance amendments, will bring far greater requirement for online marketplace transparency, we will be very interested to see what effect such measures, partnerships and regulatory reforms bring about in the short and long term.
TEMU thanked ACID and their members for continuing to invest time in meeting with them and ACID are very encouraged by the level of engagement TEMU have provided. Though many UK designers and creatives will understandably not be joining the TEMU fan club, it is a credit to TEMU that they are willing to talk, accept positive criticism and respond to feedback.
ACID urges other marketplaces to come to the table and discuss the challenges faced on their platforms by small businesses. Imagine a world where online marketplace giants demonstrate a willingness to embrace ethics, compliance and respect in IP!
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