Like any business, selling on Amazon comes with risks and potential legal issues if you enter it without the proper legal protections set in place.  As the realm of third-party selling on Amazon grows, so do problems regarding counterfeits, infringement, and listing hijackers. In response, Amazon now requires sellers to have a federal trademark registration in order to qualify for Amazon Brand Registry.In this Read More

When you apply for trademark registration, the USPTO requires you to identify the International Classes (category of goods/services) that your trademark covers.  Therefore, if you’re selling doormats, knives, shoes, pens, and keychains or plan to expand your brand to offer different types of products, you may end up spending a few thousand dollars on government fees for your trademark application. The government Read More

 Months ago, someone came to us asking for legal advice. He had lost his Amazon listing to a hijacker who had taken over his listing. Making matters worse for him, the hijacker had obtained a trademark registration for his brand name with the USPTO before he could. Because of this, the hijacker was able to show proof to Amazon that they owned the brand name. While it's true that he could still prove "first Read More

Enrolled in Amazon’s Brand Registry? If you are, Transparency by Amazon is another service that you can take advantage of to help protect your brand and customers from counterfeits.  To enroll in Transparency, you must have: The ability to verify yourself as the brand owner of your products A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), such as a UPC or EAN barcode on your products The ability to apply unique Read More

For most businesses, the 8-12 month wait time from filing a trademark application to getting registered with the USPTO can feel like an eternity. So, one might ask, “Is there anything that can be done to expedite a trademark application?”The answer is yes, but only in limited circumstances.To expedite the examination of your trademark application, you must file a petition with the USPTO requesting special Read More

When you file your trademark application, it typically takes at least nine months to register with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This wait can feel especially long for an Amazon seller who is hoping to take advantage of Amazon Brand Registry which requires a trademark registration. While you wait, here are two things from our “10-Foot Fence Strategy” you can implement to help protect Read More