Do I need a trade mark to sell on Amazon?
Eager to start selling your products on the multinational marketplace behemoth, Amazon?
An incredibly popular e-commerce site used by small, medium, and large businesses alike, knowing exactly what you need to begin selling your products on Amazon can be essential to your speedy success on this platform.
Fortunately, the team at Trademark Eagle is here to help explain whether you can become an Amazon seller and enrol in Amazon Brand Registry without a trade mark.
Do I need a trade mark to sell on amazon?
Put simply, no, there’s no requirement for Amazon sellers to trademark their products or business.
However, many businesses will choose to register their trademarks (regardless of where they choose to sell their products or services) to help prevent others from using them and thereby benefiting from your company’s hard-earned reputation.
Once you’ve registered your trade mark, you’ll be able to take advantage of exclusive rights that allow you to take legal action against anyone that might use your business name, logo, tagline, or anything else that you’ve trademarked.
For expert support understanding the trade mark registration, renewal, and protection processes and best practices, feel free to contact our experienced legal team today.
What is Amazon Brand Registry and do you need a trade mark to use it?
Amazon Brand Registry is a dedicated service that can be used by the platform’s sellers to help protect their intellectual property when it is used on Amazon.
Verifying true brand owners and carrying out automated listing scans are some of the key ways that this service can help prevent intellectual property infringement.
It also offers retailers access to a wide selection of tools (including the ‘Report a violation’ tool which allows sellers to highlight suspected intellectual property infringement), ensuring more comprehensive brand protection.
So, can you use Amazon brand registry without a trade mark? To use this service, your business must have registered trademark protection. Alternatively, Amazon will also accept brands that have a trade mark pending registration.
It’s important to bear in mind, however, that eligibility for enrolling in the Amazon Brand Registry service varies from country to country, so visit their Brand Registry eligibility page to learn more.
If you’re keen to improve the way your trade mark is protected on Amazon using this service, but are yet to register your trade mark or unsure how to do this, why not reach out to Trademark Eagle to find out more about our high-quality trade mark registration services?
Offering free initial consultations and competitive rates for trade mark registration in the UK, EU, and internationally, our professional team have helped to protect more than 5,500 trade marks.
Can you still sell on Amazon without brand registry?
Yes, while Amazon offers additional intellectual property protection with its Brand Registry service, you don’t need to enrol in this free service to sell your products on its marketplace.
Though this isn’t advised, it does mean that you can avoid having to register your trade mark altogether, but you will not have the advantage of Amazon’s assistance in preventing mis-use of your trade marks. Importantly you also will miss out on the benefits afforded to a registered trade mark when you use it on other e-commerce platforms or through a physical shop as examples.
Instead, you’ll have to rely on the very basic level of protection that’s afforded to unregistered trade marks.
What requirements are there to sell on Amazon?
To start selling with Amazon (either as an individual or a business), there are just four things you need. This includes:
- A business mail address or Amazon customer account
- A chargeable credit card (international cards are permitted)
- A valid passport or ID
- Company registration details, e.g. VAT number
Register, renew, and monitor your trade mark
Keen to start protecting your trade mark today?
With the expert legal team at Trademark Eagle, you can register, renew, and monitor your trade mark to ensure comprehensive protection of your business-critical branding.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for trade mark protection in the UK, EU, or even internationally, our team can guide you through the entire trade mark registration application process.
Concerned about competing trade marks? With our trade mark monitoring service, we’ll notify you immediately following the any national or international trade marks that could have an impact on the success of your business.
For more answers to frequently-asked trade mark questions such as ‘do I need a trade mark to sell on Amazon’ or to learn more about our wide range of intellectual property protection services, feel free to contact our knowledgeable team today.
If you’d like to discuss your specific trade mark protection requirements in more detail, you can either call our in-house legal counsel on 0122 3208 624 or reach out via email at enquiries@trademark-eagle.com.
We also welcome enquiries sent in using our handy live chat feature.
