If you are selling goods online using an online auction site or on your own website then you should take care when using logos.

Business use their logos as ‘trademarks’ to identify their products or services to consumers and they are specially protected once they are registered. To find out whether a name is protected you can search online at www.ipo.gov.uk

If the products you are advertising for sale include someone else’s trademark then you could be breaking the law. This also applies if the goods could be mistaken as being those of the trademark owner, for example if a label has been stitched into t-shirt to make it look like it’s the real thing.

Top tips to avoid becoming an accidental outlaw from online sales:

• Make sure any items you plan to advertise online are the real deal.
• Do not use someone else’s brand name online unless you are sure it is okay to do so, or better still, have permission.
• It is not a defence to say everyone else does it on the internet. If what you are doing is illegal, you could get into trouble even if there are lots of other people doing it too.

To check if you could be at risk of becoming an accidental outlaw by selling goods online or in lots of other ways take our free online test. There is more information about how the law applies online here.

Business Link has information about trademarks and Ebay gives advice to sellers on listing items for sale on their site.