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Temu called out by Australian artist Lauren Sissons
An Australian small business owner and graphic designer has claimed online shopping giant Temu sold her designs without permission.
Lauren Sissons designs cards, art prints, notepads and other stationery items for her business, Lauren Sissons Studio.
Based in Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Ms Sissons has gained popularity nationally as well as across the globe for her designs.
Despite her profile, she was shocked to find copies of her designs being advertised on Chinese-owned shopping giant Temu.
'It came to my attention a few months ago when I was actually on Pinterest, and I saw an ad of one of my greeting cards that I knew wasn't my mock-up,' she told A Current Affair.
'I clicked through and it took me to Temu.'
Ms Sissons alerted Temu, but claimed she was initally told by the online shopping giant that they would not remove the ads that showed her greeting card design.
'I went back, uploaded screenshots of my artwork, I provided photos of it physically in my hand,' she said.
'Eventually they came back a few days later and informed me that they'd removed that listing.'
Aussie graphic designer Lauren Sissons (pictured) has been left fuming after Chinese retail giant Temu allegedly stole her art to sell it at a fraction of the price
However, within a few weeks Temu had allegedly listed another item identical to one of Ms Sissons'.
Her $25 alphabet print was reportedly available on the site for $4.99, with Ms Sisson claiming Temu is 'exploiting' artists.
'It feels like someone's been looking at your work in an opportunist way, almost like they're shopping for which design of mine is going to be the most profitable for them,' Ms Sissons said.
'It's just that feeling of I'm one individual, I'm one artist, against a huge, huge system.
'I believe it's a platform built on exploiting those artists and individuals and small businesses.'
Lawyer Richard Mitri told A Current Affair that artists are virtually powerless if they find themselves in Ms Sissons' position, needing to go to China to attempt to stop it.
The greeting card sold on Temu that knocks off Lauren Sissons' design
The original design, that Ms Sissons' sells for $25 as an art print
As a result, Mr Mitri said big platforms such as Temu 'know they can keep doing it almost with impunity'.
He also noted that they sell the products for '1/100th, if not less of the value of what they're worth to the person in Australia'.
In a statement to A Current Affair, Temu said there are 'strict policies against sellers who violate intellectual property rights'.
'For repeat offenders or those who act in bad faith, we may impose multiple penalties, including permanently banning them from the platform,' a Temu spokesperson told A Current Affair.
'We also maintain a blocklist to prevent problematic sellers from returning under a different name.'