Trademarks are important for every business to grow and protect its brand. However, trademarks play a particularly important role for Amazon sellers. Amazon requires its sellers to have a registered trademark to take advantage of certain programs like Brand Registry or Project Zero. So what are these programs and how do you qualify for them?
Brand Registry
First up is Amazon’s Brand Registry. This is a program that offers Amazon sellers access to the following benefits:
- More control over product pages which provide better control over brand representation
- Tools to identify potential infringement and turn it over to Amazon to have them removed
- Additional brand protection measures to allow Amazon to police potentially fradulent listings on your behalf
- 24/7 support specifically for Brand Registered sellers
- Additional tools to help market and build your brand, such as Sponsored Brand advertising
To qualify for this program, you must meet the following requirements.
- Live, active trademark registered with each country in which you choose to sell your products (ex. USPTO in the US)
- Registration number
- Image of your trademark (either text mark or logo)
- List of all categories in which your products will be sold
- List of all countries in which your products are made / sold
Project Zero
Once you are enrolled in the Brand Registry program, you are able to enroll in Amazon’s Project Zero. Project Zero provides sellers the ability to take brand protection into their own hands with the following tools.
- Automated scanning for and removal of potentially fraudulent listings
- Self service removal of counterfeit listings without waiting for Amazon to take action
- Product serialization to allow Amazon to more easily identify / track products and remove counterfeit listings
While the program is currently by invitation only, eligibility requirements for Project Zero are as follows:
- Government registered trademark
- Amazon account enrolled in the Brand Registry program
- Must have submitted claims of potential infringements with a 90% success rating within the last 6 months
- Only brand owners can qualify for this program
- Brand owners must maintain a 99% accuracy in identifying / removing counterfeit listings
IP Accelerator
Because both of these programs require a government registered trademark, it is important that Amazon sellers interested in joining these programs submit a trademark application as soon as possible. In the US, the trademark registration process currently takes between 6-9 months to receive the registration number that both programs require. However, Amazon has recently created another program to help Amazon sellers gain entry into the Brand Registry program before their trademark is actually registered.
Amazon’s IP Accelerator is a program which requires sellers use specific Amazon-approved law firms to register their trademarks. Sellers who choose to go this route get the following benefits.
- Early access to the Brand Registry program
- Pre-negotiated prices for registration
- Amazon approved / rated law firms
There are some things to keep in mind when participating in the IP Accelerator program.
- Your choices of law firms are limited to the 11 pre-approved firms
- Your trademark registration prices are non-negotiable and set by Amazon
- If your trademark is not approved, you lose your access to the Brand Registry (and potentially Project Zero) program