What are Meta's intellectual property rules for ads?
Meta's Advertising Standards ban ads that violate a third party's intellectual property, including copyright, trademark and other legal rights, and ban the promotion or sale of counterfeit goods. If your ad uses music, you need the licences for it. Rights holders can report infringing ads, and Meta may reject or remove an ad after a report.
Music, clips, photos, brand names and logos in your ad can all be someone else’s property, and Meta bars ads that violate those rights. The Advertising Standards give infringement its own policy section, separate from content rules like nudity or misinformation. Enforcement can start from Meta’s own checks or from a complaint by the rights holder, and brands can use Meta’s reporting tools to protect their own trademarks.
What does Meta’s intellectual property policy ban?
The Third-Party Intellectual Property Infringement policy says ads may not contain content that violates the intellectual property rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark or other legal rights. It also bans promoting or selling counterfeit goods, which Meta describes as products that copy another company’s trademark (its name or logo) or distinctive features to imitate a genuine product.
A second policy in the same section, Using Meta Intellectual Property Licenses, covers Meta’s own brands. If your ad uses Meta’s trademarks or brand assets, you must follow the guidelines in Meta’s Brand Resource Center.
Which kinds of rights does this cover?
| Issue | Meta’s ad rule | Where rights holders can report |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright | Ads may not violate copyright; music needs licences | Intellectual Property Reporting Center, copyright forms, Brand Rights Protection, Rights Manager for video and audio |
| Trademark | Ads may not violate trademark rights | Intellectual Property Reporting Center, trademark forms, Brand Rights Protection |
| Counterfeit | No promotion or sale of counterfeit goods | Counterfeit forms, Brand Rights Protection |
Do you need a licence for music in ads?
Yes. Meta’s policy says that if your ad contains music, you are required to secure the necessary licences, for example for the sound recording and the musical composition, to avoid infringing the rights of music rights holders.
How does Meta find infringing ads?
Meta says ads may be rejected or removed after an intellectual property rights holder reports them, or because there are signs that the ad may infringe someone’s rights. Rights holders have three main routes:
- Intellectual Property Reporting Center. Creators and rights holders who log in can submit and track copyright and trademark reports for Facebook and Instagram.
- Report forms without logging in. Separate copyright, trademark and counterfeit forms exist for Facebook and for Instagram.
- Brand Rights Protection. A tool for brands with an active registered trademark to search for and report content, including Facebook or Instagram ads, for counterfeit, trademark and copyright infringement and impersonation.
For original video and audio, Meta also offers Rights Manager, which requires an application and approval.
How do you apply for Brand Rights Protection?
- Confirm your business has a business portfolio in Meta Business Suite and owns an active registered trademark.
- Check that your business has no history of intellectual property violations and that the applicant is an employee.
- Go to Brand Rights Protection in Meta Business Suite and click Apply for Brand Rights Protection.
- Fill in applicant, rights owner and trademark details, including the registration number and scanned registration documents.
- Enter your electronic signature and click Send, then wait for Meta’s email decision.
FAQ
What happens to reported content in Brand Rights Protection?
Meta says that after you send a takedown request, it checks the report is complete and valid, then promptly removes the reported content. It also attempts to remove bad actors and, where appropriate, disables the accounts of repeat infringers. You need the IP reviewer role to see the tool.
Can my ad be rejected without a complaint?
Yes. Meta’s policy lists two triggers for rejecting or removing an ad: a report from an intellectual property rights holder, or signs that the ad may infringe the rights of a third party. A complaint is therefore not required before Meta acts on an ad.
Are intellectual property rules only in the ad policies?
No. Meta’s Community Standards, which apply to all content on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads, also include Third-Party Intellectual Property Infringement and Using Meta Intellectual Property and Licenses among their policy areas. Ads must follow both the Community Standards and the Advertising Standards.
Sources
- Third-Party Intellectual Property Infringement (Advertising Standards) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Meta Advertising Standards (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Meta's Intellectual Property Reporting Center (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Brand Rights Protection (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Apply for Brand Rights Protection (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Community Standards (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- How ads about social issues, elections or politics are reviewed (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Retract an intellectual property report that you've submitted through Meta Rights Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.