According to Amazon’s “Intellectual Property Infringement” rules (2017 edition), Amazon sellers must maintain four types of intellectual property rights: copyright, trademark, utility patent and design patent. If Amazon sellers do not want their accounts to be blocked, they need to avoid illegal manufacturing, plagiarism, and selling imitations and fakes.
Main categories of products prohibited from sale on the Amazon platform:
1. Products that infringe on the trademark rights of others
Amazon prohibits the release of products and product information that infringe on the trademark rights of others. Sellers must first obtain the appropriate permission from the trademark owner before using their trademarks.
2. Products that infringe on the copyright of others
Copyright is used to protect original works (such as books, music, artwork or photos). Amazon prohibits the release of content that infringes on the copyright of others. Sellers must obtain the appropriate permission of others before using their copyrights.
3. Products that infringe on the patent rights of others
As a seller, it is your responsibility to ensure that the products you sell do not infringe on the patent rights of others. A patent is a property right granted by the government to the owner, which prohibits others from manufacturing, using, introducing, offering for sale or selling the rights declared in the patent in the country or region where the patent is issued.
4. Unauthorized and unlicensed products
All products sold on Amazon must be commercially produced, authorized or approved for sale as retail products. Unauthorized and unlicensed products are prohibited from being sold on the platform.
5. Pirated media products
The platform prohibits the illegal sale of pirated media products (including books, movies, CDs, TV programs, software, video games, etc.) that have been reproduced, dubbed, compiled or converted without the permission of the right holder.
6. Format-converted media products
The platform prohibits the sale of media products after converting them from one format to another. This includes but is not limited to: converting from NTSC to Pal, from Pal to NTSC, laser discs to video, TV programs to video, CD-ROMs to tapes, and from the Internet to any digital format.
7. Promotional Media Products
The platform prohibits the sale of promotional versions of media products, including books (trial copies and unproofed samples), music and videos (preview recordings). These products are for promotional purposes only and are generally not authorized for retail distribution or sale.