Etsy has no banned-word list. What it has is an intellectual property reporting process, and a set of rights holders who use it constantly — some of them through automated programmes that sweep the marketplace every day. A listing using their name comes down, and enough of those reports close a shop.
So "the list" is really this: the names whose owners actively enforce on marketplaces. Below are the ones that catch print-on-demand sellers most often, grouped by who owns them. It is the same list PSDmate's free trademark checker screens against.
This is a risk screen, not legal advice. A name not appearing here is not a clearance.
Disney and its studios
Disney runs one of the most aggressive marketplace enforcement programmes there is, and it owns far more than the name on the castle.
- Disney itself: disney, walt disney, disneyland, disney world, magic kingdom, epcot
- Mickey and Minnie: mickey mouse, minnie mouse, mickey ears, minnie ears, steamboat willie
- Winnie the Pooh: winnie the pooh, hundred acre wood, eeyore, tigger, piglet
- Frozen: frozen elsa, elsa anna, olaf frozen
- Star Wars (Lucasfilm): star wars, baby yoda, grogu, mandalorian, darth vader, jedi, yoda
- Marvel: marvel, spiderman, avengers, iron man, captain america, hulk
- Pixar: pixar, toy story, buzz lightyear, lightning mcqueen, monsters inc, finding nemo
- Princesses and recent films: disney princess, little mermaid ariel, moana, encanto, lilo and stitch
The public-domain trap lives here. The 1928 Steamboat Willie Mickey and the 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book are public domain in the US — but the names are live trademarks, Tigger first appeared in 1928, and Disney's own later designs are fully protected. Our guide to selling public domain art covers where the line actually sits.
Warner Bros. Discovery
- Harry Potter: harry potter, hogwarts, gryffindor, slytherin, hufflepuff, ravenclaw, muggle, quidditch
- DC: batman, superman, wonder woman, gotham, justice league, harley quinn, the joker
- Looney Tunes: looney tunes, bugs bunny, tweety, road runner
- TV: scooby doo, mystery machine, friends tv show, central perk
Children's characters
These are enforced hardest in exactly the categories print shops sell in — nursery prints, party goods, kids' clothing.
- Bluey (BBC Studios / Ludo Studio): bluey, bingo bluey
- Peppa Pig (Hasbro): peppa pig, george pig
- Paw Patrol (Spin Master): paw patrol, and character names with it ("chase paw patrol")
- Cocomelon (Moonbug): cocomelon
- Dr. Seuss: dr seuss, the grinch, cat in the hat, thing 1, thing 2, whoville
- Sesame Street: sesame street, cookie monster, elmo, big bird (character names with the show)
- Sanrio: hello kitty, kuromi, my melody, cinnamoroll
- Barbie (Mattel): barbie, barbiecore
Games
- Pokémon: pokemon, pikachu, charizard, pokeball
- Nintendo: nintendo, super mario, zelda, animal crossing, kirby
- Others: minecraft, roblox, fortnite
Other film and TV franchises
spongebob, stranger things, squid game, jurassic park, minions, despicable me, shrek, sonic the hedgehog — owned between Paramount, Netflix, Universal, Sega and others, all of whom enforce.
People
- Taylor Swift: taylor swift, swiftie, eras tour, taylors version. Her rights company registers and enforces these.
- Other celebrities and musicians: beyonce, bad bunny, olivia rodrigo, harry styles, bts army, blackpink, and athletes like travis kelce and lionel messi. A person's name and face are protected by publicity rights even where no trademark is registered.
Sport
- Olympics: olympics, olympic, olympic rings, team usa
- US leagues: super bowl, nfl, nba, mlb, nhl, march madness, final four, stanley cup
- Football and global sport: fifa, world cup, premier league, champions league, wimbledon, uefa
- Teams and universities: team names and college names (harvard, notre dame, penn state, ohio state buckeyes and so on) are licensed through agencies that monitor marketplaces.
Brands
- Nike: nike, just do it, swoosh, air jordan
- Fashion and luxury: adidas, louis vuitton, gucci, chanel, prada, supreme, lululemon, the north face
- Food and drink: starbucks, coca cola, pepsi, chick fil a, mcdonalds
- Tech and vehicles: apple iphone, airpods, lego, jeep, harley davidson, tesla, john deere
- Colours count too: "tiffany blue" is a registered trademark.
- Scouting: girl scouts, boy scouts
The free risky keywords list has every entry above with the owner and why it is risky, and the checker is kept up to date as new names are added.
Phrases that do not protect you
Sellers add these believing they make a listing safe. Each one does the opposite:
| Phrase | Why it does not help |
|---|---|
| "inspired by" | Shows you had the brand in mind, which makes infringement look deliberate. |
| "not affiliated with" | A disclaimer does not license a trademark and will not stop an automated takedown. |
| "fan art" | Has no special status in law; selling it is the part that creates liability. |
| "[brand] style" | Still uses the brand's name to sell your product. |
| "dupe", "replica" | Invokes the brand deliberately, and "replica" attracts counterfeiting claims. |
| "unofficial", "bootleg" | Tells the buyer — and the enforcement bot — exactly what you are selling. |
Ordinary words are different
Somebody has registered nearly every ordinary English word for something. "Wildflower", "coffee" or "mama" appearing on the trademark register is not a reason to avoid them; what matters is whether the word is distinctive and whether it is registered for the goods you sell. That is why the checker reports word-level registrations separately from brand matches instead of turning every title red.
Check before you publish
The takedown arrives after the artwork is made, the mockups are rendered and the listing is written — and it costs a strike as well as the listing. Two habits prevent almost all of it:
- Run the title and tags through the trademark checker. It matches this list, searches the live US register in the classes print shops sell in, and links you to the UK, EU and other registers with your phrase filled in.
- Write tags from the artwork, not from what is trending. A trending search is often trending because of a film or a tour. The free Etsy tag generator refuses brand names outright and builds tags from what the piece actually shows.
For the wider rules — copyright in artwork, fonts and photographs — see Etsy copyright and trademark for POD and font licensing for print-on-demand.
Frequently asked questions
Does Etsy have a list of banned words?
No. Etsy does not publish a banned-word list. Listings are removed when a rights holder reports them through Etsy's intellectual property process, so the real list is the set of names whose owners actively enforce — which is what this page collects.
Can I use a trademarked word if I add 'not affiliated'?
No. A disclaimer does not license a trademark and will not stop an automated takedown. Phrases like 'inspired by', 'fan art' and 'unofficial' make things worse, because they show you had the brand in mind.
Is a character safe once it is in the public domain?
Only the specific public-domain work is. The 1928 Steamboat Willie Mickey and the 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book are public domain in the US, but the names are live trademarks and the later designs are still protected — so the name is usually riskier than the drawing.
What happens if my listing is reported?
Etsy removes the listing, and repeated reports can lead to your shop being suspended. You can file a counter notice if you believe a report is wrong, but against a large brand's enforcement programme that rarely ends well. Checking before you publish is far cheaper.
Is there a quick way to check a title or tag?
Yes — PSDmate's free trademark checker screens a phrase against this list and the live US trademark register, and can read the words off an image of your design.