Among third-party e-commerce platforms, Amazon Marketplace stands head and shoulders above the competition, having roughly 37.8% of the U.S. e-commerce market share and generating over $574 billion in revenue in 2023.
A big worry for Amazon Marketplace sellers is the worldwide exposure of their products to possible IP theft and piracy, even though the platform offers many downstream benefits, such as immediate access to Amazon Prime eligibility, improved visibility sales through Amazon’s algorithm, and access to Amazon’s customer service, there is still a need to protect your brand from unauthorized sellers.
If you’re already an Amazon seller, you would know, that a lot goes into creating and establishing a prosperous business. Protecting your brand is crucial, and registered trademarks for Amazon sellers are the first step to do just that.
What is an Amazon Trademark, Patent, and Copyright?
Trademark:
You can protect your goods and services from imitation by registering a trademark, which can be anything from a word or phrase to a symbol or design. Protecting your brand and stopping counterfeiting are two of its many uses, making it a valuable asset.
You may prevent people from plagiarizing your brand by registering it. Another benefit is that it stops other businesses from utilizing your mark or one that is confusingly similar to it for unrelated products or services.
Patent:
Contrarily, a patent is a kind of legal protection for the intellectual property linked to a tangible service, product, method, or mechanism.
Copyright:
Legal protection is granted to intellectual property linked to written, spoken, or transmitted media through copyright. Some examples of copyrighted materials are books, reports, brochures, photographs, films, and images.
Why Amazon Trademark Registration Is Important for Amazon Sellers?
For Amazon sellers, especially private label brands, trademark registration is for several reasons.
Defence Against Unauthorized Sellers:
To protect your brand from infringers across the country, you may file for a federal trademark registration, which is both affordable and comprehensive. You can prove to the US government that you own the brand and are the exclusive owner of the right to use it in the specified good or service classes by registering your trademark with the federal government.
The filing of a trademark application is a “no brainer” when you consider the large expenses of trademark litigation or brand loss in comparison to the relatively low filing fees of $250 to $400 and the short prosecution period of a trademark application, usually only 6-9 months.
If another vendor “hijacks” your listing, they can start selling knockoff products under your name. Bad reviews and customer complaints, among other undesirable outcomes, could affect your listings if they occur.
Brand Recognition Among Broader Customer Base:
Having a registered trademark on Amazon can also assist in increasing the recognition of your brand. Customers will begin to identify your brand with attributes like reliability, value, and quality the moment they see your trademark on your products. New clients and more sales can be yours with this.
Access to Amazon Brand Registry:
As a last step, you can use the Brand Registry service to register your brand with Amazon.
As an added layer of defence against counterfeiters, the Brand Registry grants access to advanced advertising and marketing tools like A+ Content and Sponsored ads that are unavailable to non-registered businesses.
How To Apply For Amazon Brand Registry?
Eligibility Criteria:
Your brand needs to be registered in every nation where you want to join the Amazon Brand Registry, or you need to have a trademark application filed through Amazon IP Accelerator that is pending approval. See the section on country-specific regulations for more information on which trademark offices are currently accepting brands for registration with the Brand Registry.
Example of Amazon’s text-based and image-based registered logo
A word mark or a design mark containing words, letters, or numbers is required for your brand’s trademark. Classifications of eligible trademarks can vary according to the granting trademark office, which in turn depends on the location of your trademark registration.
The application’s brand name must correspond with the trademark letters. Sellers must ensure that the uploaded picture precisely matches the description on your trademark registration. If your trademark is an image-based mark containing words, letters, or numbers, make sure this information is correct on the form/documents submitted to Amazon for trademark registration.
The following countries’ trademark offices are currently the only ones Amazon will accept for registration:
Sign In Or Register On Amazon Brand Registry:
Ask the trademark owner to enroll the brand first if you are an authorized user/seller, and then add your account as an additional user.
To access Seller or Vendor Central, please use your existing credentials if you are eligible. Brand Registry features and benefits connected to Vendor and Seller services can be accessed using the same username and password. Create an Amazon account without spending a dime, if you haven’t already.
Enroll Your Brand On Amazon Brand Registry:
Requirements to enroll a brand:
Your trademarked brand name; visual representations of your trademark on merchandise and packaging; and registration or pending trademark status for your brand name are all requirements.
- The number that the Intellectual Property Office has assigned to the trademark registration.
- Only when enrolling with a trademark that is pending registration may you obtain the application number from the Intellectual Property office.
- A rundown of the product categories that your brand currently offers, such as fashion, sporting goods, and electronics.
Sellers can expect to be contacted by Amazon to confirm the ownership of the trademark and get in touch with the Right Owner after the trademark application/information is submitted. The owner will get a verification code which you must send back to Amazon to complete the verification process.
Once Amazon approves the application, the sellers can start leveraging all the valuable tools and insights available on Amazon Brand Registry.
Conclusion:
In the fiercely competitive landscape of e-commerce, particularly on Amazon Marketplace, protecting your brand against unauthorized sellers has become essential to brand owners.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ve covered the significance of trademark registration and outlined the process leading to trademark registration on Amazon. With a proactive approach to trademark protection, sellers can navigate the marketplace with confidence, ensuring long-term success and recognition among a broader customer base.
So, take the necessary steps to protect your brand today, or contact the leading e-commerce partner, Prime Retail Solution, for expert consultation and craft a tailored strategy for your e-commerce brand.
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