When Sam Joseph Karam received an email from online retailer Etsy saying 11 of his T-shirt designs bearing the slang term “bruh” had been taken down for a trademark violation, he was immediately suspicious.

“It’s usually one or two listings. It’s not 11 in a row. So that obviously caught our attention pretty quickly,” Karam said.

Karam, who owns the U.S.-based apparel company Customized Designs and sells clothing on sites like Etsy, says the platform also revoked his Star Seller badge — a mark given by the platform that means the seller provides top-tier customer service. Following that, he says he noticed an immediate drop in sales.

In the email, Etsy told Karam the shirt had been reported by someone named Malik Yawar Abbas, who holds a Canadian trademark for the term “bruh.”

Karam is one of multiple Etsy sellers who told CBC News they’ve had items taken down from the platform after their use of the word was reported by the trademark holder. CBC News reviewed multiple emails Etsy sent to Karam and two other sellers that showed the takedowns came in response to complaints by Abbas.

Karam says Abbas, the trademark holder, is “squatting” on the trademark, aiming to make money by licensing the use of the word to others rather than by making a product of his own. Some legal experts say it’s up to platforms and the legal system to better prevent trademarks from being used in this way.

No clothes for sale, request for payment

A trademark for the word “bruh” was issued by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) in July 2025 in connection with selling many kinds of clothing, according to the government’s trademarks database. Another trademark for the same word was recently granted to Abbas for use in advertising restaurant services.

In an email to CBC News, CIPO did not answer questions about the “bruh” trademark, but said each trademark application the office receives is “examined on a case-by-case basis.”

After the listings were removed, Karam found the trademark holder’s website and was surprised to find a section detailing how he protects the “bruh” trademark and directing others to license with him in order to get permission to use it.

“We didn’t invent the word. the streets did. the internet did. but we realized its power,” the site reads. 

The site doesn’t offer clothes for sale — just mock-ups of clothing and items like energy drinks using the word “bruh.” 

In an email to CBC News, trademark holder Abbas said those images are there to show “potential commercial applications” of the brand. 

When Karam contacted Abbas about the Etsy takedowns to see if he would withdraw his complaint, Abbas said he would if…