Quick answer. To enroll a brand in Amazon Brand Registry you need a pending or registered trademark for your brand name or logo, issued by the government trademark office for the store you sell in, which for amazon.com is the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Before you pick a name, search the USPTO Trademark Search system for marks that look, sound or mean the same as yours on related goods, then check state registries, domain names and the wider web. File in USPTO Trademark Center (the electronic base fee on the USPTO fee schedule is $350 per class, before surcharges), respond to every office action on time, and ignore look-alike “renewal” or “registry” notices that do not appear in USPTO’s TSDR status system. Clear names and images before you list, because Amazon acts on infringement even when the seller did not know.

Most intellectual property trouble on Amazon starts long before the first complaint. A seller picks a name that “felt unique,” copies a supplier’s lifestyle photo, or puts another company’s trademark in a title. A rights owner files, the listing comes down, and inventory sits in a fulfillment center under a name the seller may have to abandon.

The opposite problem is just as common. A seller builds a real brand, never files, and cannot enroll in Brand Registry or remove the copycats who arrive once sales pick up. Two steps prevent both. Register a mark with the USPTO so your brand is protectable, and clear what you list so you are not the subject of someone else’s complaint. This is educational information, not legal advice. For advice on your own mark, speak with a U.S.-licensed trademark attorney.

Why a trademark decides what you can do on Amazon

What Brand Registry requires

Amazon’s Brand Registry page on sell.amazon.com states the trademark requirement plainly. You must “Have a pending or registered trademark for your brand name or logo,” issued by “the designated government trademark office of a country with a corresponding Amazon store.” The mark must be “a text-based mark (word mark)” or “an image-based mark with words, letters, or numbers (design mark).” You need the registration or application number, “Your trademark text must match the brand name on your Brand Registry application,” and “You must be the trademark owner.” Amazon also asks for a list of product categories, a standalone image of your logo, and a logo that includes your brand name permanently affixed to your products or packaging. Amazon describes Brand Registry as “a free program.”

Two of those lines catch sellers out most. The first is the match rule. If the USPTO record and your packaging spell the name differently, enrollment does not line up. The second is ownership. If your supplier or agency filed in their own name, they own the mark, not you. Check the owner field in TSDR the day the application is filed.

Why the country of the mark matters

Amazon’s rights owner guidance says a registered trademark “must be registered in the country where you’re reporting the infringement.” For amazon.com, that means a USPTO filing.

What a pending application gets you, and what it does not

Amazon’s Brand Name policy says that “If you have a registered or pending trademark for your brand, you can enroll in Brand Registry,” and that enrollment “allows you to list ASINs with your brand’s name as the brand value.” Amazon’s IP Accelerator page adds that once an application filed through that program is pending, the brand can enroll, and participants “can access a broader range of brand protection benefits sooner.” A pending application is not a registration and may never become one. Examination can still refuse it, and a third party can still oppose it after publication.

How trademark rights work in the US, in plain terms

Use creates rights, registration extends them

The USPTO explains that “You become a trademark owner as soon as you start using your trademark with your goods or services” and that “You’re not required to register your trademark.” Those use-based rights, often called common-law rights, are limited to the geographic area where you trade. Federal registration “means that you create nationwide rights in your trademark,” and the USPTO says a registered mark “provides broader rights and protections than an unregistered one.” Amazon’s rights owner guidance draws the same distinction, noting that common-law rights “can be more limited.”

Two consequences follow. You can infringe a small business that never registered anything, and you cannot enroll in Brand Registry on use alone.

The TM and registered symbols

The USPTO says you can use “TM” for goods even before you file. You may use the registration symbol only after the mark is registered, and only “with the trademark for the goods or services listed” in the federal registration. Printing the registration symbol on packaging while the application is pending is a mistake to catch before your next print run.

Likelihood of confusion, the test behind most refusals and complaints

The USPTO’s examining attorneys ask two questions. Are the marks similar, and are the goods related? On the first, the USPTO says “Trademarks don’t have to be identical to be confusingly similar.” They can be similar “in sound, appearance, or meaning,” or “create a similar commercial impression.” Its own example pairs “T. Markey” with “Tee Marquee,” spelled differently and pronounced the same. On the second, the USPTO says identical marks can coexist on unrelated goods, giving Dove soap and Dove ice cream bars as the example, while goods are related if they are “identical, similar or competitive,” or share purchasers, advertising or sellers.

Rights owners filing on Amazon think the same way, so a clearance search must cover sound-alikes and meaning-alikes on related goods, not only exact spellings.

How to search the USPTO database before you name a brand

The USPTO describes the search as “A search you complete before applying for a trademark registration,” done “to make sure that no other trademark conflicts with it.” Its page on a complete clearance search lists the resources to check, and the walkthrough below puts them in working order for a seller.

Reading what the search returns

A result matters if it is live and covers related goods. Read each record’s goods description, status and owner, then ask the two USPTO questions. Do the names sound, look or mean the same, and would a shopper expect both products from one company? Two yes answers make the name a poor candidate.

Take a hypothetical seller planning a kitchen storage line called “Corvella.” The register shows no “Corvella,” but it shows a live registration for “Korvela” on food containers. The spelling differs, the sound is nearly identical and the goods overlap, the same situation as T. Markey and Tee Marquee. The seller should pick another name before printing a single box.

When to bring in an attorney

The USPTO says “An attorney can provide a clearance search and interpret the search results.” If your search finds anything in the gray zone, pay for that opinion before you buy inventory.

The USPTO application path and what to expect

Before you file

Filing happens in USPTO Trademark Center, and the USPTO says “you need to log in to a USPTO.gov account with two-step authentication.” You identify the goods you sell, choose a filing basis, and provide the mark. If you already sell under the name, you can file based on use. If you do not yet, you can file on an intent-to-use basis, which adds steps later. The USPTO also says “Using standard characters protects the wording itself,” which is why many sellers file the brand name as a word mark rather than only as a logo. Brand Registry accepts both forms, as long as the design mark contains words, letters or numbers.

The fees, as the USPTO publishes them

The figures below are from the USPTO fee schedule, which shows an effective date of January 19, 2025 and was last revised on August 14, 2026. Fees change, so confirm the live schedule on uspto.gov the day you file.

Examination and office actions

An examining attorney reviews the application for compliance, fees, conflicting marks and specimens, and the USPTO says this “may take a number of months.” If there is a problem, you receive an office action. You “must respond within three months of the issue date of the office action” or the application is abandoned, with one optional three-month extension available for a fee. Applications under the Madrid Protocol have six months and no extension.

Publication and opposition

Once approved, the mark is published in the Trademark Official Gazette, and “any party who believes it may be damaged by the registration of your trademark has 30 days from the publication date” to oppose or ask for more time to oppose.

Registration, or the extra steps for intent to use

For a use-based application with no opposition, the USPTO registers the mark and issues a certificate. For intent to use, the USPTO issues a notice of allowance “about eight weeks after the date the trademark was published,” and you then have six months to file a statement of use or request a six-month extension. Miss that window and the application is abandoned, although the USPTO allows a petition to revive within two months of abandonment. After the statement of use is approved, registration follows “within approximately two months.”

After registration

Registration does not end the paperwork. The USPTO tells owners to monitor status annually and to check “between the fifth and sixth year after the registration date” and “between the ninth and tenth year,” when maintenance filings fall due. It also says to check status every three to four months while the application is pending, and to keep your address and email current, because a missed notice can lead to abandonment.

Attorneys, filing services and IP Accelerator

Who must use an attorney

Applicants domiciled in the United States are not required to hire an attorney, although the USPTO “strongly encourage[s]” one who specializes in trademark law. Foreign-domiciled applicants “must be represented at the USPTO by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in the United States.” The USPTO also says “USPTO employees cannot give you legal advice,” so plan on getting advice elsewhere if your application runs into trouble.

The problem with non-attorney filing services

The USPTO warns that many filing companies “are not affiliated with licensed U.S. attorneys, and cannot lawfully provide such services,” and that non-attorneys “cannot represent you in a trademark matter at the USPTO.” It concludes, “If they tell you otherwise, they are likely a scammer.” If you hire help, confirm that the firm has a qualified U.S.-licensed attorney on staff, as the USPTO advises.

Amazon’s IP Accelerator

Amazon’s IP Accelerator “connects you with a network of vetted legal service providers.” Amazon says it “doesn’t charge a fee to connect you with service providers,” that you “work with and pay them directly,” and that it has pre-negotiated rates for certain services covering a single brand in a single class. Its FAQ states “Once your application is pending, you can enroll in Brand Registry.” Amazon also says “Trademark registration times vary by trademark office,” so the program shortens the wait for Brand Registry, not the wait for the USPTO.

The trademark scams the USPTO itself warns about

Once you file, the USPTO says scammers “exploit publicly available information,” sending official-looking letters and emails that quote your serial number and ask for payment. The USPTO’s guidance on misleading notices is your best defense.

What to do with a suspicious notice

Compare the sender’s name to the actual USPTO name and look for slight misspellings, as the USPTO advises. Open TSDR, find your application or registration, and compare the stated deadline to the real one. Research the company before paying. The USPTO directs reports of spoofed websites, fraudulent signatures and improper use of attorneys to TMScams@uspto.gov.

Connecting the mark to Brand Registry and your listings

Enrollment, step by step

Once you have a serial or registration number, gather what Amazon asks for. That is the trademark number, the trademark text exactly as filed, a standalone logo image, the product categories, and photos of the brand name permanently affixed to products or packaging. Amazon says that during enrollment “you’ll only be able to select a single country-based trademark office,” so pick the office for the store you sell in. Enroll from the account that should own the brand, because that account becomes the base for every role you later grant.

Getting the brand field right

Amazon’s Brand Name policy says “The brand value must match the name of the brand on the product and not be a product type or product description.” A brand name cannot be “an ASIN’s SKU, a description of the ASIN, or any other name that isn’t reflected on the branded products or packaging,” and branding must be permanently affixed, which “means it can’t be easily removed.” The policy also says that “The use of another brand’s intellectual property in your generic product listing, or the listing of a branded product as generic, are violations of our listing policies.” A seller who lists a branded item as “Generic,” or puts someone else’s brand in a generic listing, is in breach before any rights owner complains.

See also Trademark Classes for Amazon Sellers and Lost Amazon Brand Registry Access? Why Brands Get Restricted and How to Restore It.

Related guide. Amazon Brand Problems Explained.

How sellers avoid infringement complaints before listing

Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy is blunt. “Even if a seller is infringing IP without knowledge, we will still take action and the seller’s account might receive a warning or be suspended.” Clearance before listing is the only reliable prevention, and it covers four things, the name, the words on the page, the images, and the product itself.

Clear the name and the words

Run every new brand name through the search routine above. Then read every title, bullet, description and keyword field for other companies’ marks. Amazon’s guidance for rights owners says it does not enforce notices “seeking to remove true statements indicating compatibility with trademarked products,” so a truthful “compatible with” statement differs from putting another brand’s name in your title as though it were yours. If the statement is not clearly about compatibility, leave the mark out.

Clear the images

Amazon’s rights owner guidance says “do not take images from other sources and add them to product detail pages without the Rights Owner’s permission.” Supplier photos, competitor photos and stock images all need a license you can produce. Amazon also explains that adding your own copyrighted image or text to a detail page grants Amazon a license, and “Other sellers can list their identical products for sale on pages to which you have added your copyrighted images or text.” Keep your photos on your own detail page, and keep other sellers’ photos off yours.

Clear the product and its look

A product can infringe even when the listing is clean. The packaging may copy another brand’s distinctive look, which our guide to trade dress infringement covers. The product may also read on a patent. Amazon notes that US design patent numbers begin with the letter “D,” and design patents cover a product’s unique look, not its function. Get the factory’s written confirmation that the design is its own before a large order.

A worked example of a near miss

A hypothetical seller is launching a phone stand with the supplier’s catalog photos, a title containing a well-known phone brand, and the registration symbol on the box. A clearance pass finds three problems. The photos belong to the factory’s other customer, so the seller commissions its own. The title presents the phone brand as part of the product name, so it becomes a truthful compatibility line. The application is still pending, so the packaging uses TM until registration. Each fix is cheap before launch. After launch, each one is a separate complaint.

If a complaint arrives anyway. Diagnose, fix, prevent

Our guide to what an intellectual property complaint is covers the notice itself. In short, the right response depends on the type of claim and where the alleged infringement sits, and Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy sets out the routes.

Diagnosis comes before any reply

Read the notice for four facts, the type of IP, the rights owner, the ASINs, and where the alleged infringement sits. Then pull your listing history, image licenses, invoices and clearance file. Most IP problems trace to a small set of causes. A name that was never cleared, content copied from another source, a branded item listed under the wrong brand value, or product bought from a source that cannot prove authenticity. Our guide to inauthentic versus counterfeit complaints covers the sourcing side.

The plan of action structure

If your account is suspended because of IP notices, Amazon says you can send an appeal through your account dashboard or reply to the suspension notification. A strong appeal names a specific root cause, not “we made a mistake.” It lists the corrective actions already taken, such as the listings removed, the images replaced, the titles rewritten and the retraction requested, with proof of each. It then sets out preventive controls tied to that exact cause, such as a pre-listing IP checklist, a named owner who signs it off, a license file for every image, and a review date. Where the multiple warnings route applies, Amazon asks for a list of the ASINs and at least one supporting document. That can be invoices proving authenticity, Amazon order IDs, an authorization letter from the rights owner that “cannot be a forwarded email,” or a court order.

When genuine documents do not exist

Never create, alter or backdate an invoice, a license or an authorization letter. If you cannot obtain a genuine document, say so plainly, remove the affected listings and focus the appeal on what you have changed. Amazon states that it “terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances,” so each notice weighs on the next. Removing a risky listing early is often worth more than defending it.

If you are the rights owner

Once enrolled, you report infringement through Brand Registry with the Rights Owner or Registered Agent role, one type of IP per notice and one trademark number per notice. Amazon warns that “Multiple submissions of inaccurate or inauthentic notices could lead to the removal of your submission privileges.” Report only marks you own, in the store’s country, against listings that infringe. Our guide to brand protection on Amazon covers enforcement, and our rights owner complaints service handles filings for brands that need help.

A repeatable brand protection routine

Sellers who rarely see IP trouble run brand protection as a routine.

• Before every new brand name. Run the full clearance search and keep the results with the date.
• Before every new listing. Complete the pre-listing checklist above and file the image licenses.
• Every three to four months while pending. Check TSDR for status and office actions, as the USPTO recommends.
• Every quarter. Review Brand Registry roles, remove anyone who has left, and search the store for your brand name and images.
• Every year after registration. Check status, with extra attention between the fifth and sixth year and the ninth and tenth year.
• Always. Keep one brand file holding the application or certificate, the ownership documents, the clearance search, the licenses and the list of who has access, so you can produce any of them the same day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a registered trademark to join Amazon Brand Registry?

You need a pending or registered trademark for your brand name or logo from the trademark office of a country with an Amazon store. For amazon.com, that is the USPTO.

How much does a USPTO trademark application cost?

The USPTO fee schedule lists a base application fee of $350 per class for electronic filing, with surcharges of $100 for insufficient information and $200 for a free-form goods description. Check the current schedule on uspto.gov before filing.

How long does USPTO registration take?

The USPTO does not promise a single timeline. It says examination “may take a number of months,” followed by publication and a 30-day opposition window before registration.

Can I enroll in Brand Registry while my application is pending?

Yes. Amazon’s Brand Name policy says a registered or pending trademark lets you enroll, and IP Accelerator’s FAQ says the same for applications filed through that program.

How do I know if a trademark notice is a scam?

Official USPTO emails come from “@uspto.gov,” and every real deadline is in TSDR. The USPTO says that if it is not in TSDR, it is not an official communication.

Can I use another brand’s name in my listing?

Only in a truthful statement of compatibility. Amazon does not enforce notices against true compatibility statements, but presenting another company’s mark as your brand or in a generic listing violates its policies.

Get Help With Trademark and IP Complaints on Amazon

If listings were removed for an IP complaint or Account Health shows IP warnings, you can submit your case or book a consultation.

This article is educational information, not legal advice. Trademark rights and Amazon policies change, and the outcome of any application, complaint or appeal depends on the facts. Confirm current USPTO fees and deadlines on uspto.gov and current Amazon requirements in Seller Central, and consult a U.S.-licensed attorney about your own mark.

Our rights owner complaint team can take the case from here. If the account itself is restricted, start with our Amazon suspension service. You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.

Sources

• Amazon Seller Central: Program Policies
• Amazon Seller Central: Intellectual Property Policy
• Amazon Seller Central: Intellectual property for Rights Owners and Registered Agents
• Amazon Seller Central: Amazon Brand Name policy
• Amazon: Brand Registry
• Amazon: IP Accelerator
• USPTO: Search our trademark database
• USPTO: Comprehensive clearance search for similar trademarks
• USPTO: Likelihood of confusion
• USPTO: Trademark process
• USPTO: Fee schedule
• USPTO: What is a trademark
• USPTO: Why hire a private trademark attorney
• USPTO: Caution, misleading notices