An Amazon repeat infringer is a seller whose account keeps drawing intellectual property complaints, and Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy states that Amazon terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances. Amazon does not publish a fixed number of complaints that triggers this. What it does publish is how repeat violations of the same policy degrade your Account Health Rating, and which evidence clears a complaint. A repeat infringer deactivation can be appealed when the notice offers an appeal, and the appeal has to deal with every complaint on the record, including the old ones. The strongest appeals combine retractions from rights owners, proof that genuine goods were sourced properly, and a catalog that no longer carries anything a brand can file against.

How Amazon Defines a Repeat Infringer

Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy covers copyrights, trademarks and patents. Every seller must comply with all federal, state and local laws and Amazon policies that apply to its products and listings, and may not violate the intellectual property rights of brands or other rights owners. The policy states that violating it may result in loss of selling privileges or other legal consequences, and it closes the section on suspensions with the repeat infringer statement quoted above. The same sentence appears on Amazon’s UK policy page.

Two further points in the policy shape every repeat case we handle. First, Amazon states that even if a seller infringes without knowledge, it will still take action, and the account might receive a warning or be suspended. Intent does not reset the count. Second, Amazon tells sellers to consult an attorney to make sure they have the right procedures in place to prevent infringement. A repeat infringer appeal is judged on whether those procedures now exist.

The first question we ask

Before anything else, we sort every complaint on the account into two groups, complaints about the product, and complaints about who is selling it. Many trademark complaints against resellers come from brands that restrict distribution and want unauthorized sellers off their listings, even when the goods are genuine. Others come from real infringing content, such as a logo copied into an image, a brand name in a private label title, or a compatibility claim written as a similarity claim. A repeat infringer record is often a mix of both, and each group needs a different answer. Treating them alike is the most common reason these appeals fail.

Why marketplaces keep repeat infringer policies

Repeat infringer policies are not unique to Amazon. In the United States, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act conditions a service provider’s safe harbor on adopting and reasonably implementing a policy that provides for terminating repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances, at 17 U.S.C. 512(i)(1)(A). In the European Union, the Digital Services Act, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, has applied since 17 February 2024, and its Article 23 requires online platforms to suspend, for a reasonable period and after a prior warning, users who frequently provide manifestly illegal content. Platforms have legal reasons to act on patterns, which is why an account with a pattern faces a higher bar than an account with one complaint.

How repeats are weighted in Account Health

The Amazon Intellectual Property Policy is one of the policies included in the Account Health Rating. The rating runs from 0 to 1,000, every new seller starts at 200, and it reflects policy adherence and selling activity across a rolling 180 days. For a repeat infringer the bands matter in a specific way. Green Healthy covers 200 to 1,000, yellow At Risk covers 100 to 199, and red Unhealthy at 99 or lower means the account is eligible for deactivation or already deactivated. A new account starts at 200, the bottom edge of green, so until the score climbs, any points lost to a trademark complaint drop it into yellow. Violations carry one of four severity levels, critical, high, medium or low, and critical violations can lead to immediate account enforcement.

Repeat violations hit harder in two ways that Amazon spells out. The point values attached to violations increase each time the same policy is violated, so repeats degrade the score faster. And an account may be at immediate risk of deactivation if it reaches the maximum number of repeat violations for a single policy in a 180 day period, a maximum that varies by severity and can be as low as two for higher severity violations. A seller can be deactivated after what feels like a handful of complaints.

Counting Open and Resolved Complaints

Amazon does not publish a number of complaints that makes a seller a repeat infringer, so the count that matters is the one on your own record. Build it before you write a word of the appeal.

What stays on the record and what comes off

Open complaints. Any intellectual property complaint shown on your Account Health page that has not been retracted or successfully appealed. These are what the reviewer sees.
Retracted complaints. Under the trademark complaint routes in the IP policy, a withdrawal filed by the brand that complained can put the removed listing back. A retraction addresses the complaint at its source, which is why it is the most valuable outcome in a repeat case.
Complaints cleared on evidence. Amazon’s policy pages state that when products are confirmed to be genuine, Amazon will remove the enforcement claims from your seller account.
Complaints older than the rating window. The Account Health Rating reflects the last 180 days. Older complaints still sit in your history and still inform how a reviewer reads your pattern.

Every complaint you clear before or during the appeal reduces what the reviewer has to weigh. A seller who arrives with eight open complaints and a promise to do better is in a different position from a seller who arrives with three retractions, two complaints cleared on invoices, and three remaining complaints each answered with corrected content.

Map each complaint before you act

For each complaint, record the date, the ASIN, the rights owner, the right asserted, where the alleged infringement sits, and the evidence you hold. Amazon’s response routes depend on that location. A trademark complaint about the product or packaging is answered with an invoice or Order ID that demonstrates authenticity. A trademark complaint about the detail page is answered by modifying the page or by appealing with a letter of authorization or licensing agreement. A product you never listed is answered by replying to the notification. A complaint from a rights owner you have a license or agreement with is answered by asking that owner for a retraction.

Repeat violation history audit worksheet

Complaint date and the 180 day window it falls in.
ASIN and listing title as it stood on the complaint date.
Rights owner name and the contact details given in the warning.
Right asserted, whether trademark, copyright, patent or design.
Location of the alleged infringement, whether product, packaging, image, title, bullets, description, Brand field or search terms.
Complaint group, whether about the product or about who is selling it.
Evidence held, such as invoices matched to the ASIN, Order IDs, letter of authorization, original content files, or none.
Status, whether open, retraction requested, retracted, cleared on appeal, or listing removed permanently.
Root cause in one line, and the control that now prevents it.

Patterns appear quickly once the worksheet is complete. In the repeat cases we review, the same two or three causes usually account for most complaints, such as a handful of brands that object to resale, a content habit such as copying manufacturer images, or a product line built around another brand’s name. Fixing the cause is what persuades a reviewer the pattern has ended.

The left file arrives with eight open complaints and a promise. The right file arrives with each complaint cleared or answered. Compare what the reviewer weighs.

See also Repeated Amazon Copyright Complaints and Account Deactivation.

When the worksheet shows more than a handful of brands, our Amazon suspension team can build the complaint map and the appeal file for a repeat infringer record.

Appealing a Repeat Infringer Deactivation

Amazon’s policy states that if your account has been suspended because of intellectual property notices, you can appeal through your account dashboard or by replying to the suspension notification. Amazon then evaluates the appeal and determines whether the account may be reinstated. Check the notice carefully. If it offers an appeal, the window to use it well is short. If the notice states the decision is final, the realistic options narrow, and we cover them below.

What Amazon asks for when there are multiple warnings

Amazon’s policy has a specific instruction for sellers with multiple warnings who believe their products do not infringe. Submit a list of the allegedly infringing ASINs and at least one of the following, as applicable.

Invoices proving the authenticity of your products, with pricing removed if you wish.
Amazon Order IDs demonstrating product authenticity.
An authorization letter from the rights owner, which cannot be a forwarded email.
A court order finding that your product does not infringe the asserted right, or that the right is invalid or unenforceable.

For complaints where the content was the problem, the evidence is the corrected listing and the control that keeps it corrected. You cannot invoice your way out of a logo you had no right to use.

How we structure a repeat case plan

The decision and your position. Name the deactivation, the Amazon Intellectual Property Policy and the number of complaints. State the position in one sentence, that each complaint is resolved, rebutted or corrected, and the conditions that produced them no longer exist.
Root cause by group. Explain the causes plainly. For example, a wholesale program that included brands restricting distribution, and an image process that reused manufacturer photos. Do not blame rights owners, competitors or Amazon’s systems. A plan that faults the brand which filed tells the reviewer the next complaint from that brand is already on its way.
Complaint by complaint resolution. A short table in your attachment with ASIN, right asserted, cause, action taken, evidence attached and status. Every complaint appears. A missing complaint reads as an unanswered one.
Corrective actions already taken. Quantified results, such as listings removed, brands exited, images replaced, retractions requested and received, and invoices gathered.
Preventive controls. The intellectual property review that now runs before any listing goes live, who owns it, and how often the catalog is audited.
The request. One concrete ask to reinstate the account on that record.

Keep the legal argument factual and brief. In the United States, identifying genuine goods by their brand and reselling lawfully purchased genuine goods are recognized positions, and in the EU and UK exhaustion applies to goods placed on the market there with the owner’s consent. Those points support a genuine goods complaint. They do not answer a content complaint, and the plan should not pretend otherwise. Our guide on trademark appeals denied without a retraction covers evidence for individual complaints in more detail.

Mistakes that sink repeat appeals

Answering only the newest complaint. The deactivation rests on the pattern. An appeal that explains one complaint leaves the reviewer with the rest unexplained.
Admitting more than happened. Do not write that you sold counterfeit goods or broke the law when the record shows a reseller objection. Attribute each complaint to its actual operational cause and pair it with the fix.
Naming documents you cannot produce. If the appeal mentions invoices or a letter of authorization, attach them. A document named and missing hurts the case.
Editing invoices or letters. Amazon allows pricing to be removed from invoices. Any other alteration damages credibility on every other complaint in the file, and Amazon states it may validate letters of authorization with the rights owner.
Relisting too early. Relisting a brand that filed against you before authorization exists invites the next complaint, which is the pattern the reviewer is trying to see ended.
Opening a second account. Running another account while the first is deactivated creates a separate and serious problem. Resolve the original account.

A complete repeat appeal often runs longer than a single complaint appeal, and that is acceptable when every page carries evidence. Put the summary and the request on the first page so the reviewer knows the position before reading the detail.

Regional rights during the appeal

Sellers on Amazon’s EU stores have rights under the Digital Services Act. Article 17 requires a clear and specific statement of reasons for a suspension or termination. Article 20 gives access to an internal complaint-handling system for at least six months after the decision, free of charge. Article 21 allows a dispute to be taken to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body. In the UK, the retained Platform to Business Regulation 2019/1150, Article 4, requires a statement of reasons and, for termination of the whole service, at least 30 days notice, with an opportunity to clarify the facts through internal complaint handling. These rules apply to how Amazon decides. They do not change what Amazon’s policy requires of your catalog.

Clearing Complaints Through Retractions

When a brand keeps filing against genuine goods, the realistic route is usually a retraction negotiation backed by sourcing proof. Amazon’s policy points sellers with a license or other agreement toward the rights owner, and its UK policy notes the rights owner’s contact details are provided in the warning. A brand withdraws its report through the Notice Retraction Form described on Amazon’s Report Infringement help page, and that page limits retractions to reports filed in the last 365 days. On a repeat infringer record, sort the complaints by filing date and approach the brands whose oldest reports are nearest that 365 day cutoff first.

Prioritize the retractions that change the record most

Brands with several complaints against you. One retraction conversation can clear multiple entries.
Complaints where you hold strong sourcing proof. The brand has the least reason to refuse.
Complaints about content already corrected. The brand’s concern is gone, and a retraction costs it nothing.

What brands respond to

Keep the request short. Give the complaint ID and ASINs, state the fact that answers the brand’s concern, and make a commitment the brand values. For a reseller objection, that commitment is often to stop listing the brand or to move to an authorized channel. For a content complaint, it is confirmation that the content is gone and will not return. Ask for a retraction of the named complaints through the Notice Retraction Form. Do not threaten litigation in a first message. Brand teams handle many of these requests, and the ones that are easy to say yes to get answered first.

Log every contact with the date, channel, person, request and reply. The log supports the appeal by showing good faith, and it becomes your list of brands that have filed. Stop selling brands that have filed against you unless you obtain written authorization. Our rights owner complaint service handles these conversations when the volume is high or the brand will not engage.

Abusive notices

Amazon’s UK policy states it may refuse to act on notices showing signals of abuse, for example a trademark registered without genuine commercial intent and used to demand payments from sellers. Evidence of payment demands in exchange for a retraction results in listing reinstatement under that policy, and Amazon asks sellers to report it through the appeals process with screenshots and evidence of prior use. Never pay for a retraction. Report it.

Options remaining by enforcement tier

Single complaint, listing removed. Correct content or submit genuine goods evidence, request a retraction, and appeal from Account Health.
Multiple complaints, account At Risk. Clear what you can through retractions and evidence, remove listings you cannot defend, and install a pre-listing review before the next complaint.
Account deactivated with an appeal offered. Appeal through the dashboard or by replying to the notice with a complaint by complaint plan and the multiple warning evidence Amazon lists.
Appeal denied. Resubmit only with new evidence, such as fresh retractions or a valid letter of authorization, and use EU or UK complaint channels where they apply.
Decision stated as final. Review the regional and contractual options with counsel before any further submission.

Toggle where the account stands to see the enforcement tier and the work that remains open at that tier, from a single listing to a final decision.

What Has to Change Before Selling Again

A reviewer reinstating a repeat infringer is betting that the pattern has ended. The plan earns that bet only when the business that produced the complaints has changed. These are the changes we build into every repeat case, organized by the business models that produce most trademark complaints.

Wholesale resellers of brands that restrict distribution

Brands that control distribution use trademark complaints to remove unauthorized sellers. The goods may be genuine and the complaint still arrives. Before listing a brand, ask whether it restricts resale on Amazon. If it does, obtain written authorization before you buy, and keep it on file with invoices that match the ASIN. Amazon’s letter of authorization page asks for the scope of the license grant, including field and territory of use, on letterhead from the company holding the brand rights and signed by an authorized signatory. The same page lists documents it does not accept as a letter of authorization, including invoices, distribution rights and reseller agreements, receipts from online or physical retailers and purchase orders, and it notes Amazon may validate the letter by contacting the rights owner. Exit brands that have filed against you unless that authorization exists.

Private label sellers using another brand’s name

Titles, bullets and backend search terms that use a competitor’s brand name invite complaints. Amazon’s trademark page draws the line. Using a brand name in a non-confusing and truthful manner to describe compatibility is generally allowed, and describing similarity is not. Remove competitor brand names from your titles, bullets and search terms. Search the trademark register before naming your own brand or product, so your own name does not collide with an existing mark.

Accessory and compatible parts sellers

Amazon allows truthful compatibility statements using the brand name and never the logo. It sets a title format for compatible products, which is your brand, the product name, then “for,” “compatible with,” “fits” or “intended for,” then the main product’s brand and name. For generic products the title begins with “Generic.” Amazon warns that listings not following this format may be removed as potentially trademark infringing. Rewrite every compatible listing to the format, confirm each compatibility claim is true, and remove the other brand’s logo from every image.

The controls a reviewer expects to see

A pre-listing intellectual property review. Every new listing checked for third party marks in the title, bullets, description, images, Brand field and search terms before it goes live, with a named owner.
A restricted brand list. Brands that have filed against you, or that publicly restrict resale, blocked from purchase without authorization on file.
Document retention. Invoices matched to ASINs and authorization letters stored where they can be produced on request.
Image ownership. Only photos you created or licensed, with no logos you have no right to use.
A rights owner contact log. Every complaint, request and reply recorded.
A catalog audit cadence. A scheduled review of live listings, with results recorded.

The law that frames genuine goods resale

The four laws below frame genuine goods resale in the regions where Amazon enforces repeat infringer policy. They give context for an appeal and do not replace advice from a trademark attorney on a specific complaint.

Region	Law	Relevance
United States	Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. 1114 and 15 U.S.C. 1125(a)	Infringement and false designation turn on likely confusion about source or affiliation.
United States	Champion Spark Plug Co. v. Sanders, 331 U.S. 125 (1947), decided April 28, 1947	Reconditioned genuine goods may be resold under the original mark when the sale fully discloses that they are used or repaired.
European Union	Regulation (EU) 2017/1001, Art. 15, applying since 1 October 2017	Exhaustion for goods placed on the EEA market by the owner or with consent, with a legitimate reasons exception.
United Kingdom	Trade Marks Act 1994, section 12, as amended on 31 December 2020 and 31 December 2023	A UK registered mark cannot block resale of goods first sold in the UK or EEA with consent, unless the proprietor shows legitimate reasons such as changed or impaired condition.

Amazon’s UK policy adds that rights owners may prohibit sale in the EEA of goods sourced outside it, and that you must be able to prove consent if a brand challenges your goods as parallel imports. Sellers who move inventory between regions should treat that as a sourcing rule.

Prevention comes down to one discipline. Run every listing through an intellectual property review and stop selling brands that have filed against you. For the earlier stages of these cases, see our guide to the trademark complaint policy warning and our core guide to trademark complaints and retractions. Repeat records often include authenticity complaints as well, covered in our guides to the inauthentic item complaint appeal and counterfeit complaints after a test buy, and image complaints covered in our guide to copyright complaints on listing images.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a repeat infringer on Amazon?

A repeat infringer is a seller with repeated intellectual property complaints, which Amazon’s policy says can lead to termination. Amazon states it terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances. Repeat violations of the same policy also increase the points deducted from your Account Health Rating.

Can retractions help a repeat infringer appeal?

Yes, retractions remove complaints at the source and support the appeal. Each withdrawn report is one fewer entry the reviewer has to weigh against your pattern. Rights owners can only retract reports submitted within the last 365 days, so request them early.

How many complaints get an account deactivated?

Amazon does not publish a fixed number. Its Account Health Rating policy states the maximum number of repeat violations of a single policy in 180 days varies by severity and can be as low as two for higher severity violations.

Can I appeal a repeat infringer deactivation?

Check the notice for the appeal option, and if one is offered, address every complaint on the record. Amazon accepts appeals through the account dashboard or a reply to the suspension notification. For multiple warnings it asks for the ASIN list with invoices, Order IDs, an authorization letter or a court order.

What prevents repeat complaints?

A listing review process for third party intellectual property before anything goes live. Pair it with a restricted brand list, invoices and authorizations on file, original or licensed images, and a regular catalog audit.

Get Help With an Amazon Repeat Infringer Deactivation

Repeat infringer cases reward preparation. The appeal has to account for every complaint, and the record improves with each retraction obtained before you submit. When a brand keeps filing against genuine goods, the realistic route is usually a retraction negotiation backed by sourcing proof, and that is where we take over. We map the complaint history, run the rights owner conversations and build the plan.

Start with our Amazon suspension and reinstatement service, submit your case for a free assessment, or book a consultation.

Repeat infringer records that also involve Walmart, eBay or another store are handled through our marketplace suspension services.

What Options Remain After an Amazon Repeat Infringer Deactivation