Unoriginal Content

Customers prefer genuine, engaging, and interactive content. To provide an engaging shopping experience and foster creativity, we prohibit Unoriginal Content in Livestreams and Videos.

Unoriginal Content

Unoriginal Content refers to any content you didn't create yourself, such as material taken from other creators or sources. Examples of Unoriginal Content include:
  • Stitching a product review video without any new commentary.
  • Uploading screen recordings from a movie or TV show and blurring the original logo or watermark.
  • Using the stitch, duet, or overlay function without providing any verbal or in-text promotion of the product.
  • Switching between livestreaming and playback of pre-recorded clips.
  • Recreating a video that directly mirrors the actions of another creator's content.
  • Merging content that is not your own without permission with your personal original content.

Best Practices ✅

Here's how you can ensure your content is original

What to Avoid 🚫

To maintain the originality and integrity of your content, it's important to follow these requirements.
  • Create something new. Your contributions should be distinctive enough to be considered original. Promote and add a new perspective of the product verbally or through the use of text.
  • Show yourself. Make sure you're front and center in the content you share. Whether it's a stitched or duet video, or content with overlays, make sure that you are visible in that content.
  • Change things up. When doing content, diversify your overall presentation by changing your background setting and product display instead of simply changing your clothing.
  • Refresh your scripts. Develop a new original script for each video or livestream rather than relying on past material. Avoid repeating the same script from previous content.
  • Keep it fresh. Stay creative and keep every piece of content uniquely fresh - whether you're managing one account or many, let each post bring something new and exciting for your audience to discover!
  • Give credit. If you are using someone else's content, make sure to include proper crediting and recognize the original creator.
  • Tell your story. Showcase your brand, story, and products through original videos and livestream content.
  • Report Unoriginal. If you find other creators reposting your content, you’re welcome to report it through our IPPC platform.
  • Collaborative Posting: Sellers and creators are encouraged to discuss and agree on who will publish the product promotion video to ensure the best collaboration results.
  • Reposting content: Don’t share content from other creators, media outlets, or copyrighted sources unless you add significant new perspective (e.g., voiceover, text edits, or personal interaction). Content with watermarks, stickers, or logos from other platforms is not allowed.
  • Using copyrighted material: Don’t use clips, songs, or sound effects from films, TV shows, concerts, or music videos. Limited use may be allowed if content is educational, demonstrates a product, or includes artistic additions.
  • Pre-recorded content: Don’t stream pre-recorded content or insert clips into a livestream. Livestreams must be real-time.
  • Screen recordings: Don’t broadcast screen captures of devices. Viewers can easily identify status bars, cursors, or taskbars — this reduces trust and authenticity.
  • AI voiceovers: Don’t use AI-generated audio or narration in livestreams.
  • Copying trends: Don’t post trend-based content that doesn’t actually promote the product.
  • Reposting your own content: Don’t re-upload the same video or livestream recording. Each post should bring new value.
  • Disguising copied content: Don’t rely on filters, overlays, or edits to pass off reused content as original.
  • Watermarks/logos: Simply adding a watermark or logo to copied content does not make it original and may result in a violation.

Prohibited Content Editing Techniques

Content Editing techniques aimed at "hiding" unoriginal content in your videos may lead to harsher penalties. This includes the following:
Sandwich Frames – Placing unrelated pictures or videos above and below the main video, so the promoted content sits in the middle. This makes the video look different to detection systems, but adds no value for viewers.
image
Subtle Frame Insertion – Hiding very quick flashes of random images inside a video. Viewers usually can’t see them, but they change the video’s digital “fingerprint” to bypass detection.
imageThese edits do not make your content original. They only serve to evade our systems and can disrupt the viewing experience. To keep the platform safe and fair, videos using these methods may face enforcement actions.

Content Authorization Tool

The Content Authorization Tool allows creators to manage content authorization directly between TikTok accounts. With this tool, you can request permission to use another creator's content or authorize others to use your own.Using the Content Authorization Tool, you can:
  • Request authorization to use content from another TikTok Shop creator.
  • Grant another creator authorization to use your content.
  • Review and respond to incoming authorization requests.
  • Track the status and details of authorization requests.
  • Request authorization directly from an eligible copyright violation notice.
Read the Guide to Content Authorization Tool article for more details. Please note that any acceptance or authorisation obtained via the Content Authorization Tool does not exempt you from liability and enforcement of any valid intellectual property violations under the TikTok Shop Intellectual Property Policy.

What happens if I breach these guidelines?

Violating these guidelines will result in enforcement actions taken against your content or account. Repeated offenses will result in more significant penalties. Please see our Creator Enforcement Policy and Creator Terms of Use for more information. If you think an enforcement action has been taken against you in error, appeal via the TikTok App. Please read our Creator Appeal Guidelinesarticle for more information.
Please click here to read our TikTok Shop Content Policyfor more details.