{"id":918983,"date":"2026-10-07T04:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T04:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/918983\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T04:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T04:26:09","slug":"tiktoker-wins-copyright-fight-against-activewear-giant-alo-yoga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/918983\/","title":{"rendered":"TikToker wins copyright fight against activewear giant Alo Yoga"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An Australian content creator has slammed global activewear brand Alo Yoga after the multibillion-dollar giant hit her TikTok account with copyright and intellectual property (IP) infringement claims following an honest product review.<\/p>\n<p>Sydney-based TikToker Meredith was left in \u201cdisbelief\u201d when the brand behind Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber\u2019s favourite leggings targeted her account after she posted a video criticising the quality of its $150 tracksuits.<\/p>\n<p>Obsessed with major fashion retailers? Download our <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/wpmth9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">new app <\/a>and never miss a headline<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"poster-img\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/1a9024438d9a90c9acd324826bd8f991\" data-sctrack=\"op-poster-img\" alt=\"'Nobody wanted this': Alo faces backlash after revealing Kylie Jenner is the new face of the new campaign\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u2018A multibillion-dollar company being so scared\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Meredith, who has nearly 44,000 TikTok followers, posted a video showing severe fabric pilling on her Alo Yoga tracksuit bottoms and hoodie \u2014 items she bought with her own money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe entire Accolade range from Alo is problematic as it pills terribly when washing and wearing it,\u201d Meredith told news.com.au. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt most you get three cycles with it before it\u2019s so badly peeled it looks terrible. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the price, it\u2019s ridiculous to have items that look like you\u2019ve owned them for 15 years after only 3 wash cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after publishing her critique, Meredith logged onto <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/topics\/tiktok\" target=\"_blank\" data-tgev=\"event119\" data-tgev-container=\"bodylink\" data-tgev-order=\"tiktok\" data-tgev-label=\"topics\" data-tgev-metric=\"ev\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TikTok <\/a>to find Alo Yoga had lodged copyright and IP infringement complaints against her video, leading to an immediate temporary take-down and a violation strike against her account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy initial reaction was disbelief,\u201d Meredith relayed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cA multibillion-dollar company being so scared of an honest consumer review by a no-one TikToker, to the point they need to lodge violations, is beyond comprehension.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added that Alo \u201cchose war\u201d and claimed she is \u201cnot one to back down\u201d, especially when she knows she is in the \u201cright\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The battle to get the video back<\/p>\n<p>Knowing her legal rights from her own background as a business owner, Meredith immediately appealed the strikes through TikTok\u2019s internal platform mechanisms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was aware enough \u2026 that the claims under which the violations had been lodged did not meet the requirements for copyright or intellectual property violations,\u201d Meredith explained in a follow up <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@livingluxwithmeredith\/video\/7679645027265514772?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">video<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI outlined that legally my video did not meet the violations claimed and that I had simply provided a consumer review which was well within my legal consumer rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It took nearly three weeks for TikTok to review the appeal, during which the video remained offline. <\/p>\n<p>TikTok ultimately ruled in Meredith\u2019s favour, dismissing the claims and removing the strike.<\/p>\n<p>However, Meredith says the damage was already done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey wanted the video stopped, so they knew the outcome was either going to be that I\u2019d be intimidated \u2026 or I\u2019d appeal it, and TikTok would take forever, by which point the algorithm is no longer pushing the video out,\u201d she said in a TikTok video.<\/p>\n<p>Fearing further retaliation, Meredith took drastic measures to safeguard her account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI blocked Alo as soon as they lodged the violations,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs I had other positive Alo videos from over a year ago showing items I had purchased, I didn\u2019t want them to work backwards and find them and report them. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree violations result in the suspension of your account, and I didn\u2019t want to risk the platform I\u2019ve built.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What legal experts say<\/p>\n<p>The situation raises serious questions about whether major brands are weaponising platform moderation systems to silence customer complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Hale, Practice Leader at <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">LegalVision<\/a>, warned that using intellectual property mechanisms to censor negative reviews carries significant risks for fashion labels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA brand may have a legitimate IP complaint if the video copies protected brand material, such as campaign footage, professional product photos, music, packaging artwork or substantial parts of advertising content,\u201d Ms Hale explained to news.com.au. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimply showing a purchased garment while giving a genuine opinion is much harder to characterise as copyright or trade mark infringement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ms Hale noted that under Australian copyright law, fair dealing exceptions exist specifically for criticism and review.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe commercial risk for brands is overreach,\u201d Ms Hale said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf an IP complaint is used to suppress criticism rather than protect copyright or trade marks, it can create reputational backlash and may expose the brand to arguments that the complaint was unjustified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA product review may be commercially uncomfortable, but discomfort is not the same as infringement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also added that a heavy-handed IP strike can turn a small customer complaint into a \u201cmuch larger brand trust problem\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>However, Principal Lawyer <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/astorlegal.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Avinash Singh<\/a> cautioned that Australian copyright law strictly protects creators\u2019 artistic works.<\/p>\n<p>Under section 31 of the Australian Copyright Act 1968, the producer of an artistic work holds exclusive rights to reproduce or publish it, with rights to take down unauthorised content under section 115.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn order to avoid this, consumers should ensure that they do not use any intellectual property of another company in any reviews they use,\u201d Mr Singh revealed to news.com.au.<\/p>\n<p>A growing trend among creators<\/p>\n<p>Meredith claims she is far from the only creator targeted by the activewear label.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs many other content creators have come out saying they are receiving the same violations and, in some cases, account bans, there seems to be a stance by Alo that they don\u2019t want any content for their brand,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven positive reviews are being reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems strange for a company that uses influencers like Kylie Jenner and Alix Earle to not want their products to be featured at all on social media. I honestly don\u2019t understand what their strategy could be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked if she would ever shop at the store again, Meredith was definitive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely not. I won\u2019t not wear my items as they cost a lot of money, but I certainly won\u2019t buy from them again, and I\u2019ll actively tell anyone who was considering purchasing from them not to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>News.com.au reached out to Alo Yoga for comment.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An Australian content creator has slammed global activewear brand Alo Yoga after the multibillion-dollar giant hit her 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