Solved: Meta Ad Rejected for Third-Party Infringement

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch! I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your rejected Facebook ads for custom watches. It's a right pain when that happens, especially when you're sure you haven't done anything wrong. I've seen this happen quite a lot and there's a few things we can try.

We'll need to look at Meta's vague rejection reasons...

First off, don't worry too much about Meta's vague rejection reasons. "Third-Party Infringement" is about as helpful as a chocolate teapot, innit? Meta's systems can be a bit overzealous sometimes, flagging things for all sorts of spurious reasons. What I would say, is that it is most likely the watch design.

I remember one campaign we ran for a jewellery maker a while back. The pictures of their items kept getting flagged, even though it was all their original work. It turned out that their designs had some similarities to a bigger brand, and Meta's AI just saw the resemblance and penalised them. So, it can happen even if you haven't copied anything directly. It's also worth considering that Meta's AI isn't perfect and sometimes just gets it plain wrong.

I'd say you should try appealing the decision...

My first bit of advice would be to appeal the decision. Go into Ads Manager and find the rejected ad, then click the "Appeal" button. Politely ask for more clarification on exactly what triggered the rejection, making it clear that it's your own design and you're not infringing on anyone's intellectual property. Sometimes a human review can sort things out, as a human is more likely to understand what's going on.

When you appeal, be clear that you’ve created the design yourself and haven’t used any third-party logos or trademarks. Ask them to specifically point out what part of the ad is the problem. The more information you can get from them, the better.

You probably should slightly edit the image...

If the appeal fails, your next step is to try editing the image slightly. It might seem daft, but even small changes can be enough to fool the algorithm. You could try changing the angle, lighting, or background. Maybe crop it differently or add a filter. You could also try running it without an image (as a text-only post) if you are sure that the image is the problem. This might help confirm the issue.

It's worth experimenting to see what works. I've seen ads get rejected for really minor things, like a slightly off colour or a particular font. It can be a bit of a process of trial and error to figure out what Meta doesn't like, sadly.

You'll need to check your product and website...

Even though you didn't use any trademarks in the ad text, double-check that your product name or any other text on the watch itself isn't similar to a registered trademark. Do a quick search on the UK Intellectual Property Office website (or the equivalent in your country) just to be on the safe side. Also, give your website a once over, because sometimes Meta crawls the website and if the website contains copywrited material, the ad can get flagged.

It's also worth checking your website for any potential issues. Make sure your terms and conditions and privacy policy are up to date, and that you're not making any misleading claims about your products. Even if your website isn't directly linked in the ad, Meta can still take it into account when reviewing your ad.

This is the main advice I have for you:

Advertising on Meta is a nightmare at times, and even as experts we run into issues every so often. If you're still having trouble after trying these steps, it might be worth getting some expert help. We offer a free consultation where we can take a look at your ads and website and give you some personalised advice.

Anyway, I hope this helps!

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh