A comprehensive guide for Amazon sellers to protect their brand rights and effectively drive away copycat sellers
On the Amazon platform, the phenomenon of follow-up sales seriously affects the seller’s sales performance and brand image. Therefore, sellers need to master effective brand rights protection methods and get rid of follow-up sellers in a timely manner to protect their own interests. This guide integrates a variety of strategies and tools to help sellers deal with follow-up sales.
1. The importance of brand registration
First of all, registering a trademark and carrying out brand registration is the basis for ensuring the rights and interests of sellers. On Amazon, if there is no registered trademark, the seller will not be protected by the platform, making it easier for sellers to infringe on their interests. In the long run, registering a trademark early can effectively reduce operational risks.
Trademarks are not only exclusive and territorial, but also need to be registered according to the sales market. For example, sellers need to obtain a U.S. trademark when selling in the United States, and apply for a Canadian trademark when selling in Canada. At the same time, the category of trademark registration must be accurately selected to avoid various problems that may arise later. The name design of the trademark should consider the relevance to the product category, the habits and cultural background of consumers in the country of sale, so as to improve the efficiency of brand communication.
After applying for a trademark, sellers should carry out brand registration. The Amazon platform currently supports the registration of TM bids and R bids, and R bid holders can directly eliminate the sellers through the backend when faced with follow-up sales. This mechanism significantly improves the protection of the brand and effectively inhibits the phenomenon of follow-up sales.
2. Use platform tools to make complaints about follow-up sales
After registration, sellers can use Amazon’s multiple brand complaint functions to gradually eliminate copycats. After a follow-up behavior occurs, sellers can file a complaint through Amazon’s infringement reporting page. Although the success rate is usually low, you can expect 1-3 successful complaints per week. In order to improve the success rate, sellers can also use Test Buy to make complaints. Although this method is more expensive and has a longer cycle, the success rate is almost 100%.
3. Transparency Plan and Zero Tolerance Plan
In order to prevent copycats more effectively, Amazon has launched the “Transparency Plan” and the “Zero Tolerance Plan”. The Transparency Plan ensures that only authentic products can be put into the warehouse by applying unique transparency codes to products, making it impossible for copycats to Copy or obtain authentic information. The zero-tolerance program allows officially registered brands to directly mark and delete counterfeit products, and the processing speed can be completed within tens of seconds.
When managing brands, sellers can react and deal with malicious copycat situations more quickly, because if the brand complains through the brand page, it will usually be handled within 48 hours. If the brand does not withdraw the lawsuit later, the store that sells it will not be able to restore its sales authority.
4. Seek support from professional services
During the process of trademark registration and brand filing, it is recommended that sellers choose a professional and reliable trademark service provider. Registering a trademark by yourself may result in the application being rejected due to unfamiliarity with the process. Therefore, the waste of time and money can be reduced with the help of professional services. At the same time, when applying for overseas trademarks, sellers should also pay attention to the country’s subsidy policy for brand applications to reduce costs and achieve brand protection.
Summary
In short, when Amazon sellers face the problem of follow-up sales, they can effectively safeguard their own brand rights through a reasonable combination of brand registration, platform tools and professional services. The protection of trademarks and brands is not only the cornerstone of ensuring sales, but also an important means to enhance brand value and market competitiveness.