Although Amazon is an incredible platform for selling products and is a fantastic way to grow a business and make money, it also brings competition and the need for business protection.
What is the most effective strategy for sellers to combat these worries? Join Amazon’s Brand Registry and register their brand trademark. This article explores the features and advantages of the Amazon Brand Registry, how to get started, and how trademarking and other strategies can help you safeguard your Amazon business.
What is Amazon brand registry?
Amazon Brand Registry is a program that assists brand owners in protecting their intellectual property and product content on Amazon. The most significant advantage of the program for manufacturers is the direct influence on their detail pages/listings. It also provides registered Amazon sellers with a plethora of optimization tools and offers various solutions too that include:
- Brand Experience Optimization
- Brand Protection
- Advanced Store Analytics
Who Can Sign up For Amazon Brand Registry
The eligibility requirement for Amazon Brand Registration in India is as mentioned below:
- The brand should manufacture their own products.
- Brand must either have an active registered trademark in each country where you want to enroll or a pending trademark application filed through a registered Trademark Attorney or by self.
- The brand’s trademark must be a text-based mark (word mark) or an image-based mark with words, letters, or numbers (device mark).
Documents required for Amazon brand registry in India
Throughout the procedure concerning Amazon Brand Registry in India, the following documents are required at various stages:
- A current registered or pending trademark, which can be text-based or image-based.
- A prominent image of the brand’s logo.
- A Principal Trademark Registration or Serial Number issued by the government.
- Images of your products and packaging showing trademark.
- The product category (or list of product categories) in which your brand should be listed.
- A country-specific trademark registration number, depending on where you intend to sell on the marketplace.
Benefits of registering a amazon brand registry
Getting your store approved for the Brand Registry programme has many benefits. These primary advantages consist of the following:
1. Obtain total protection for the product listings for your brand
You have complete security over your product listings with Amazon Brand Registry. You now have control over how the details of your product listing appear on the site and how you wish to market your goods. Several measures will be taken to protect your listings, like:
- Protecting your advertising data.
- Protecting your brand name from being for low-quality products.
- Protecting your product listing’s information from changing.
2. Increase the sales of your products and increase conversions
What happens then when Amazon tightens its security measures around your brand data and deletes all erroneous listings that are connected to it from its marketplace? Naturally, you’ll observe a rise in sales. Customers will always locate your products on Amazon when they enter your search keywords, not those of competitors.
3. With data-driven analytics, you can comprehend your customers better
How well do you know your customers, you could ask? Delivering the greatest outcomes on Amazon will depend on your ability to comprehend the needs of your audience and what motivates them to make purchases.
You get access to information on consumer search and the purchasing habits of your target customers thanks to the comprehensive analytics feature of Amazon Brand Registry. You’ll be able to quickly determine which goods are most successful with your audience, as well as the important demographics and search terms they commonly use. You can then apply the information to enhance both your products and the customer experience in your business.
4. Improve your clients' buying experiences
You may immediately enhance the user experience of your online store and discover more effective ways to engage your customers if you register your brand on Amazon. You will have all the resources necessary to set your Amazon store apart from those of your rivals, including the following:
- Build an Amazon storefront that is easily customisable.
- Use sponsored brand advertisements.
Improved assistance from Amazon
You receive first-rate help from Amazon if you discover any fraudulent activity involving your brand or products. The platform will promptly and effectively address any of your problems. Any questionable activities and fake goods are reported by an internal team at Amazon.
Eligibility requirements for Amazon brand registry
Step - 1: Create a Registry Account and Sign in
First visit the Brand Registry website and proceed to Sign-Up. Here, you’d be required to produce the following documents:
- Proof of your identity via an SMS OTP.
- Provide the legal and corporate information, as asked.
- Accept the terms and conditions after reading.
Applications for the Brand Registry must be submitted by the trademark owner. Please enroll the brand first, and then add your account as an additional user if you are an authorized agent.
Once done, go to the Brand Registry website and click ‘Enroll now’. Next, you’ll be asked to choose a country to sign into and will have to choose between Seller or Vendor account.
NOTE: Make sure you sign into the relevant seller account, as all the extra features and tools will be applied to this dashboard.
Step - 2: Fill out the application form
During this step, to ensure that you are eligible to apply for the Amazon Brand Registry the following information may be asked from you:
- Your brand name;
- Whether your brand name features on your products;
- Your trademark, including its name, registration number and the trademark office that issued it.
- You may have to upload a copy of your trademark too if it is image based.
- Your distributors, manufacturers, product codes and the categories your items fall under.
This information will help Amazon identify any false listings.
NOTE: These eligibility requirements are subject to country to country requirements. Hence, you may be asked slightly different questions as well.
Since the form features mostly boxes that need to be checked as per your answer, the application itself shouldn’t take long to fill. It is recommended that you practice extreme caution while checking these boxes.
Step - 3: Verifying your eligibility
As a last step, an email will be sent to you, the rights owner listed by the trademark office, from Amazon. This is to verify your eligibility.
This mail will contain a unique code that is required to be submitted under the ‘Case log’ section of your account. Here, the status of your application is also visible. Usually, these approvals take only 24 hours.
Process of registering a brand
Sign in to Amazon Brand Registry
Applications for the Brand Registry must be submitted by the trademark owner. Please have the trademark owner enroll the brand first, and then add your account as an additional user if you are an authorized agent. Sign in with your existing Seller or Vendor Central credentials if you meet the eligibility requirements. Using the same username and password grants access to Brand Registry features and benefits associated with Vendor and Seller services.
Enroll your brand
Your brand name with an active registered trademark; your brand’s active registered trademark must appear on your products or packaging. The Intellectual Property Office’s Online trademark registration number. No application numbers will be accepted. A list of product categories (for example, clothing, sporting goods, and electronics) in which your brand is present.
After you submit this information, they will verify that you are the trademark’s rights owner and look for a contact who meets our criteria. This individual will be given a verification code. To complete the enrollment process, you must return this code to Amazon.
Once they have verified the provided information, you will have full access to the Amazon Brand Registry’s benefits and features that will assist you in protecting your brand.
What is the cost of Amazon Brand Registry?
You must have a registered trademark in order to register with Amazon Brand Registry, which is free to do. Here, you are required to pay to register if you don’t already have one. This price will vary depending on the nation in which you register and the kinds of goods you sell.
Amazon only accepts trademarks registered through official government agencies, such as the USPTO in the US. So, you must file an active trademark application in each nation if you want to join the Brand Registry in different marketplaces. It’s also important to keep in mind that in order to register with the Amazon Brand Registry, your trademark must be visible on your goods or packaging.
How trademark registration can help you in Amazon brand registry
The more information you provide to Amazon’s Brand Registry organization about your brand and its intellectual property, the better Amazon can help you protect your brand.
Register your Trademark
Amazon brand registry trademark infringement/unauthorized use
Many different versions of the same product are frequently sold on Amazon by numerous companies, with varying degrees of quality and reliability. Other parties can try to persuade customers to buy their products instead of yours in a variety of ways. Some sellers may try to sell competing goods by using your company name or trademark. This can include recreating and selling something that has a similar appearance or name. Customers may believe they are purchasing your product when, in fact, they are purchasing an inferior knockoff or mappers. This results in customer dissatisfaction and negative reviews.
The Report Infringement form on Amazon is designed for intellectual property owners and their agents to use to notify Amazon of alleged intellectual property infringements such as copyright and trademark concerns. Amazon will not be able to process complaints submitted through this form if you are not the owner of intellectual property rights or their agent. Please report your concerns to Amazon Brand Registy via the following channel:
- Sellers can use this Report Infringement formto report inappropriate listings, other sellers, policy violations, and other issues.
- Buyers can use this Report Infringement form to report order problems, seller policy violations, and so on.
Role of an attorney in this problem
Parties may believe your actions are illegal. You may legitimately own a trademark and be accused of infringing on the rights of others—and they may ask you to stop using your name or brand.
Infringement claims should never be ignored because they can quickly escalate. If an infringement is alleged, you may receive notification that Amazon has removed your items, and you may even be banned from the website as a seller. We understand that every day can mean lost revenue in these situations.
An attorney can examine the claims against you and determine:
- Whether you had prior use rights to the trademark.
- Whether the trademarks or goods and services are sufficiently distinct or unrelated to constitute infringement.
- The validity of any trademark registration at issue.
Even if you are certain that you did not infringe on the trademark of another party, you must still resolve the complaint with Amazon. A counter-notice to Amazon is sometimes the appropriate response.
Related Article :- Remove Hijackers on your Amazon and Flipkart Listings
Frequently asked questions:
Yes. The active registered trademark for your brand has to appear on your products or packaging.
It usually takes around 2 to 10 days for Amazon to validate all the information received and activate the brand registry account.
No, it is not compulsory to have your trademark registered in order to sell on Amazon/Flipkart, but it is advised to get trademark to avoid brand hijack.
Naseem Sheikh is a trademark enthusiastic and has been practicing intellectual property law for close to six years.
