Selling on Amazon offers numerous benefits for businesses and individuals who are looking to reach a larger audience and increase their sales. A seller does not need to have a trademark in order to sell on Amazon. However, having a registered trademark can provide some benefits for sellers on Amazon. For example, having a registered trademark can help sellers protect their brand and prevent counterfeiters from selling knockoff products under their name.
Amazon offers a program called Amazon Brand Registry that allows sellers to register their brand and gain access to tools and features that can help them protect their intellectual property and improve their brand presence on the platform. To enroll in Amazon Brand Registry, sellers need to have a registered trademark for their brand.
Benefits of Amazon Brand Registry
Amazon created Brand Registry to help sellers protect their intellectual property and improve their brand presence on the platform. Before the creation of Brand Registry, many sellers were struggling with issues like counterfeit and infringing products, which can be damaging to a brand's reputation and sales.
To enroll in Amazon Brand Registry, sellers need to have a registered trademark for their brand. Once a brand is registered, sellers can access a range of benefits, including:
Brand protection: Amazon Brand Registry provides sellers with tools to help them protect their brand and prevent others from using their intellectual property without permission. This includes tools to report and remove listings for counterfeit or infringing products.
Enhanced search features: Brands that are registered with Amazon Brand Registry have access to enhanced search features that can help their products to appear higher in search results and be more easily discovered by customers.
Marketing and advertising tools: Brands that are registered with Amazon Brand Registry can take advantage of Amazon's marketing and advertising tools to promote their brand and products, which can help to increase their visibility and attract more customers.
Brand analytics: Amazon Brand Registry provides sellers with access to brand analytics, which can help them to understand their customers and improve their marketing and sales strategies.
Potential reasons for Amazon not accepting the trademark
1. The trademark does not meet Amazon's requirements
Amazon has specific requirements that a trademark must meet in order to be accepted. For example, the trademark must not conflict with any existing trademarks, and it must be active and in good standing with the relevant trademark office. Amazon is currently only accepting trademarks that have been issued by government trademark offices in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia, India, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Singapore, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Sweden, Poland, Benelux, the European Union, and the United Arab Emirates. If your trademark is registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), please submit the corresponding trademark number assigned by the national trademark office as it may differ from the trademark number assigned by WIPO.
2. You have not provided enough information
Amazon may require additional information about your trademark before accepting it. To enroll a brand, you will need to provide the following information:
Your brand name that has an active registered or pending trademark;
The trademark registration number provided by the Intellectual Property office. Application number provided by the Intellectual Property office can only be provided if you are enrolling with a trademark pending registration.
A list of product categories (e.g., apparel, sporting goods, electronics) in which your brand should be listed.
3. Your trademark is not printed on the product and/or packaging of your product
One of Amazon’s essential requirements for enrolling in Brand Registry is that the trademark for your brand must appear on your products or packaging and you must provide images that depict this together with other relevant information.
Working with a professional trademark attorney can increase the chances of a successful trademark registration and enrollment in Amazon Brand Registry. If you require any help with your trademark application or have questions regarding Brand Registry requirements, schedule a free consultation today.
