Quick answer. Brand protection on Amazon starts before any complaint. Register the trademark with the USPTO, register the copyrights in your product photos and packaging art, file design patents where the product’s look is the value, and consider recording the trademark and copyrights with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Enroll in Brand Registry. Report infringement through the Report Infringement form with one right per notice, the exact ASINs or offers, the registration number and real evidence, including a test buy where Amazon requires one. Verify every right in the official databases before you file, track each report to an outcome, and never report lawful resellers of genuine goods. Amazon says repeated inaccurate notices can cost you your submission privileges.

Most brand owners come to enforcement late. A copy is outselling the original, a seller has attached cheaper goods to the flagship ASIN, or a “Generic” listing ships products with your logo on the box. The instinctive complaint that says “this is fake” is usually rejected. The listing stays up, and the seller learns your brand does not follow through.

Brands that win work in the opposite order. First they make themselves hard to attack, with registered, verifiable rights, clean Brand Registry access and an evidence file they can pull in minutes. Then each report names one listing set, one right, one kind of infringement and the proof. If you received a complaint, read what an intellectual property complaint is instead.

Educational information, not legal advice. Trademark, copyright and patent questions turn on facts and jurisdiction, so confirm your position with a qualified attorney.

Why the foundation decides every outcome

Amazon’s page for rights owners asks every report to include “specific identification of the IP you believe is infringed”, meaning the registration number, a description of or link to the copyrighted work, and the first date of use. Without a right you can name and prove, the reviewer has nothing to act on, however obvious the copying looks.

Each layer depends on the one before. A registered trademark makes Brand Registry possible, Brand Registry’s search finds infringement early, early detection keeps cases small, and a record of accurate reports makes escalation credible. Skip a layer and you react to each new listing while the infringer relists at almost no cost.

The build order. Register, enroll, detect, enforce, escalate, with verification under each stage.

Building the rights foundation before you need it

The registered trademark

The trademark carries most of the weight. Amazon notes that rights based only on use in commerce, known as common law rights, “can be more limited.” On amazon.com, a trademark report needs a registration enforceable in the store’s jurisdiction, with the USPTO as the example, and counterfeit reports require a federally registered trademark. “Common law and Pending trademark applications cannot be used as the basis for counterfeit infringement.”

Three things decide whether the mark holds up. It must be registered in the store’s country, because Amazon will likely reject a notice based on another country’s registration. Its goods and services must cover what is being sold. And it must match how the brand appears on the product and packaging.

Copyrights in your images, text and packaging art

Copyright usually covers product photography, video, listing copy, A+ content and packaging art. Amazon notes that you generally own the copyright in photos you took for your product. You can report copied images without a registration by linking to or describing the work. A registration strengthens the file and is needed for CBP recordation, though CBP also accepts evidence of a pending application.

Amazon states that adding your images or text to a detail page grants Amazon and its affiliates a license to use them, and other sellers can list identical products on that page even if you stop selling. A reseller of your genuine product on your own ASIN is not misusing your photos. Copyright reports are for images lifted onto other pages or products.

Design patents, where the look is the value

A design patent covers how a product looks, and Amazon notes U.S. design patent numbers begin with “D”. If copycats clone your product’s shape under their own brand names, a trademark complaint will not reach them, but a design patent may. Amazon requires a patent that is active and enforceable in that store. For utility patents, which cover how something works, it asks for a court or International Trade Commission order unless you use its Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) process. Patent strategy needs a patent attorney.

CBP recordation, the card up your sleeve

The protection most brands never set up works away from Amazon. U.S. Customs and Border Protection states it can detain, seize, forfeit and destroy merchandise bearing an infringing trademark or copyright if the mark or work is registered with the USPTO or Copyright Office and recorded with CBP. You record online through e-Recordation, and a trademark must be on the USPTO Principal Register. At the time of writing CBP lists an initial fee of $190 per international class for trademarks and $190 per copyright, with $80 renewals, and copyright recordations are renewed every 20 years. Check current figures before you budget.

Recordation is the card up your sleeve because it attacks supply. A report removes a listing that can be recreated in minutes. A recordation lets customs stop the shipment before it reaches a fulfillment center. Seizure decisions and legal follow-up belong with counsel.

The parts of a brand protection foundation a reviewer relies on. Toggle what your brand has in place to see whether it is ready to file reports.

If this is already affecting your Amazon account, our Amazon suspension team can review the notice and prepare the response with you.

What Brand Registry enrollment gives you

Amazon describes Brand Registry as its “authoritative service for managing and protecting brands” and says enrollment provides “proprietary text and image search, predictive automation based on your reports of suspected intellectual property rights violations, and increased authority over product listings with your brand name.”

Roles and access hygiene

Amazon says the enrolling rights owner receives the Rights Owner and Administrator roles, and the administrator can assign the Registered Agent role under User permissions in Settings. Only users with the Rights Owner or Registered Agent role can report through Brand Registry.

A former employee or agency with live access can file in your brand’s name, and every inaccurate notice counts against your record. Grant the least access needed, remove leavers the day they go, and review the list every quarter.

Other programs for enrolled brands

Amazon also offers enrolled brands Transparency (unit serialization) and Project Zero (self-service counterfeit removal). Eligibility and cost change, so check current terms inside Brand Registry. Use them as extra layers for high-value products that are actively counterfeited.

Verifying your rights before you enforce

A report states that you hold a right and that it has been infringed. Before you make it, confirm the right is live, owned by the filing entity and covers the goods. The check takes minutes and produces the documents you will attach.

USPTO Trademark Search and TSDR

The USPTO’s Trademark Search system, at tmsearch.uspto.gov, searches the federal register. Use it to confirm your registration and, before you launch or expand, to spot conflicting marks. Then open Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR). It looks up a mark by serial, registration, reference or international registration number and shows the owner, classes, goods and services, with status, documents and maintenance tabs. Download the certificate from TSDR for your file.

On TSDR, check that the status is live and registered, the owner is the exact entity holding Brand Registry (or a recorded assignment or license connects them), the goods cover the accused products, and maintenance is current. If the founder owns the mark personally and the company files, fix the chain of ownership with counsel first.

Copyright Office public records

The Copyright Office’s Copyright Public Records System covers 1898 to 1945 and 1978 to the present, with older material in the Virtual Card Catalog. Confirm the claimant is your business and the work matches what you will report.

CBP e-Recordation and the IPR search

If you have recorded with CBP, confirm it in CBP’s public IPR search, a keyword-searchable database of public recordations, and check the number, classes and expiry match your USPTO record.

Question	Where to check	What to look for
Is my trademark registered and live?	USPTO TSDR, by registration number	Status registered and live, maintenance current, certificate downloadable
Does it cover the goods being infringed?	TSDR, goods and services and class fields	The accused product falls within the listed goods
Is the owner the entity that will file?	TSDR owner field and documents tab	Exact legal name match, or a recorded assignment or license
Does someone else hold a conflicting mark?	USPTO Trademark Search	Similar marks for related goods, before you launch or expand
Is my product photo or packaging art registered?	Copyright Public Records System	Claimant is your business, title and date match the work
Are my rights recorded with customs?	CBP IPR search	Recordation number, classes and expiry match USPTO
Is the brand enrolled and who holds access?	Brand Registry, User permissions under Settings	Only current staff and authorized agents hold roles
What happened to my earlier reports?	Brand Registry Submission History, and the email to your primary contact	Accepted, rejected with reason, or still pending

The Report Infringement form and what makes a report succeed

Enrolled brands report through the Report Infringement form. Brands that are not enrolled can submit a notice through a form Amazon makes available to all selling partners. Either way you must be logged in.

A report that succeeds has four exact parts, the listing (ASINs, offers or images), the right (one registration number), the infringement stated plainly, and the evidence. Miss one and the reviewer is guessing.

Choose the level, ASIN, offer or image

That choice changes what can be removed and what evidence you need.

One Amazon detail page with six places to report. Open each zone to see which report fits it, what evidence it takes and what to watch for.

One right, one issue, one notice

Amazon processes only the complaint type you choose. Discuss copyright in a trademark notice and it is handled as trademark only. List two trademark numbers and only the first is considered. Within one type and issue you can report up to 50 products, entered as comma-separated ASINs, ISBN-10s or URLs.

What to include, in Amazon’s words

Amazon asks for the registration number, the nature of the infringement (product, packaging, detail page image or text), the ASINs and URLs, the specific sellers where you are not reporting the whole page, supporting documents such as test buy order IDs, and contact details. Your secondary contact is shared with affected sellers, so use a monitored brand inbox.

The path an Amazon infringement report travels, from verifying the right to the outcome. Step through each stage to see what it produces for the next.

Evidence standards, and test buys for counterfeit

Reports usually fail on evidence, not merit. A screenshot of a lower price proves nothing about authenticity. Reviewers act on evidence that ties a specific seller or ASIN to a specific violation of a specific right.

Screenshots that survive removal

Before you report a listing, capture its ASIN, URL, title, images, brand field, price, seller and storefront, with date and time visible. Pair each capture with your reference, whether that is the certificate, your original file or your saved correct content. Never crop or annotate originals. Mark up copies, number the exhibits and log who captured what and when.

The test buy

A test buy turns suspicion into proof, and Amazon requires one for offer-level trademark and copyright reports.

Buy from the exact offer you will report, so the order ID ties the unit to that seller.
Keep the confirmation, shipping label, packaging and unit unaltered.
Compare it against a genuine unit of known origin, checking packaging, print quality, materials, labels, lot or batch codes, any serial or authentication codes, inserts and warranty material.
Photograph every difference side by side with the genuine article.
Write up what a genuine unit has and what this unit has instead.

Be honest about the result. A genuine unit sold by someone you did not authorize is not a counterfeit, and reporting it as one is a false claim. If it is genuine but different in a way you believe matters, take advice first. Amazon’s view of what counts as an IP issue is narrower than many brands assume.

What you are reporting	Right it rests on	What Amazon requires or rewards
Product or packaging bears your mark, but you did not make it	Registered trademark in the store’s country	Registration number, and the whole ASIN is reportable without a test buy
A seller on your ASIN ships infringing goods	Registered trademark or copyright	Test buy with order ID required for an offer-level report
Counterfeit goods	Federally registered trademark	No common law or pending marks, and test buy findings are the strongest proof
Copied photos or text on another page	Copyright	Registration, or a link to or description of the work
Copy of your product’s look	Design patent	Active patent enforceable in that store, number beginning with D
Copy of how your product works	Utility patent	Court or ITC order, or the APEX evaluation for U.S. patents

What Amazon will not act on, and what that means for your strategy

Amazon lists notices it does not accept. These matter most.

Compatibility statements. True statements that a product is compatible with a trademarked product are allowed, using the brand name (not logo) in Amazon’s title format.
Foreign registrations. The trademark or patent must be registered in the country where you report.
MAP and distribution agreements. Amazon says MAP violations are not IP infringement, and it enforces exclusive distribution only where local law provides for it, naming China, France and the United Arab Emirates.
Parallel import and warranty claims. Accepted only as each store’s law allows (the EEA, Brazil and Türkiye are Amazon’s examples). Warranty claims are accepted only alongside a valid parallel import claim.
Barcodes. Amazon does not enforce ownership of UPCs or EANs.

Amazon’s trademark policy also lets a seller of authentic goods use the trademarked name to identify them, so an unauthorized reseller of your genuine product in the U.S. store is generally not an IP target. Channel control is a commercial problem. See our guides to MAP policies and unauthorized brand sales.

Five kinds of misuse a brand might find on Amazon, each resting on a different right. Open each one to see whether it is reportable and what proof it takes.

The Brand Name policy makes the brand field enforceable

Amazon’s Brand Name policy requires the brand value to match the brand on the product, permanently affixed, and not a SKU or description. It states 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.”

That gives you two checks. Search for your branded products listed as “Generic”, which hides them from your brand alerts, and use a test buy to see what customers receive. Then watch for lookalike spellings of your brand, which Amazon treats as prohibited misrepresentation.

Keep your own brand value exact. Minor fixes go through Selling Partner Support under the brand update issue type.

Counterfeits still on your listings?

Send us the listings and your registration, and we will tell you plainly which reports will hold up.

Submit Case →Book a call

Worked example, one hypothetical brand from foundation to removal

Take a hypothetical cookware brand, Larkmoor. The numbers are illustrative.

Foundation. TSDR shows Larkmoor’s mark live for cookware but owned by the founder personally, while the company holds Brand Registry. With counsel the mark is assigned to the company and the assignment recorded. The company registers its photo set and records the mark with CBP for one class.

Detection. A weekly image search finds 14 listings, nine unbranded skillets using Larkmoor photos, three new offers on Larkmoor’s ASIN about 40 percent below its price, and two “Generic” listings whose review photos show the Larkmoor logo on the handle.

Classification. The nine photo copies go in one image-level copyright report. Test buys from both “Generic” listings show the logo but different casting and box print, supporting counterfeit reports with order IDs and side by side photos. Of the three cheap offers, two test buys arrive non-genuine and are reported at offer level. The third is a genuine skillet bought at retail, so that seller is left alone and logged as lawful resale.

Tracking. Every report is logged with the date, ASINs, right and evidence, and checked weekly. No report goes against the seller who did nothing wrong.

The trademark record, the Generic listing and the test buy unit from the worked example. Open each tab to see what supports a report and what does not.

Monitoring, tracking and handling repeat infringers

A monitoring routine you can sustain

Concentrate on the products counterfeiters target and cover the rest more lightly.

Daily or several times a week. Check top ASINs for new sellers, Buy Box loss, sharp price drops, and changes to title, images or brand field.
Weekly. Run Brand Registry text and image searches for your name, logo and main photos. Read new reviews for words like “fake” or “different”. Chase reports past your expected response window.
Monthly. Review which reports were accepted or rejected, why, and how long each took.
Quarterly. Audit Brand Registry access, re-check every registration on TSDR and any CBP recordation dates, refresh your evidence file, and look across the log for sellers or networks that keep returning.

Tracking every report to an outcome

Amazon sends a confirmation, then a follow-up. An accepted notice leads to removal and “appropriate action against the responsible parties”. A rejected one comes with the reason. Outcomes appear in Submission History. Log each report and its outcome, because enforcement most often fails through lack of follow-up.

On rejection, fix the single gap the reason points to and resubmit one stronger report, not duplicates. If you learn a report was wrong, retract it promptly through Amazon’s Notice Retraction Form, which covers reports from the last 365 days.

Repeat infringers

Amazon says it “terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances,” and may suspend accounts selling inauthentic goods “and any related accounts”. Your part is to show the pattern. Link recurrences through seller and business names, addresses where shown, reused images and targeted ASINs, with prior complaint references. If a network relists faster than reports remove it, bring in counsel. See also our guide to listing hijacking.

How brands hurt themselves with bad faith and overbroad reports

Amazon states that “multiple submissions of inaccurate or inauthentic notices could lead to the removal of your submission privileges.” A brand that loses them cannot report the real counterfeiters. Wrongly targeted sellers may also have legal remedies against the brand, a question for your attorney.

The patterns that cause trouble are predictable.

Reporting a reseller of genuine goods as counterfeit because they are unauthorized or undercutting your price.
Reporting a whole ASIN to remove one offer, which risks taking your own listing and every honest seller down with it.
Asserting a stronger claim than the evidence supports, such as counterfeit without a test buy.
Using a pending mark, a foreign registration or a mark that does not cover the goods.
Reporting truthful compatibility statements, or using reports to enforce MAP.
Letting a former agency or employee keep access and file in your name.

Reported sellers can appeal with invoices, order IDs, a letter of authorization or a court order, and can send a DMCA counter-notice for copyright removals. Well-built reports hold up. Thin ones get reversed and weaken your record. Retract mistakes, and keep a record of sellers you checked and left alone. For how Amazon separates claim types, see inauthentic vs counterfeit complaints and the anti-counterfeiting policy.

When a report stalls, find the cause and fix it

Work a stuck or rejected report like any account problem.

Diagnosis. Check the rejection reason against the four parts, meaning the level, the registration’s validity and owner, the evidence and the claim type.

Root cause. Name it specifically, such as an offer report without a test buy, a mark owned by the founder, copyright filed as trademark, or a seller who shipped genuine goods.

Corrective action. Fix the gap with proof, or retract if the report should not have been filed.

Preventive control. Add the check that would have caught it, with an owner and a date. For example, from 1 March the brand manager verifies TSDR ownership before each new report type, and no offer report goes out without an order ID in the log.

If a clearly valid, well-evidenced report still does not move, open a Brand Registry support case referencing it, and involve an IP attorney for serious repeat infringers. Our rights owner complaint service manages this for brands that want it handled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a registered trademark to protect my brand on Amazon?

For meaningful enforcement on amazon.com, yes. Amazon asks for a registration number enforceable in the store’s country, the USPTO for the U.S., and counterfeit reports require a federally registered trademark.

Can I enroll in Brand Registry with a pending trademark?

Amazon’s Brand Name policy says a registered or pending trademark lets you enroll. A pending application cannot be used as the basis for a counterfeit report, so finish the registration.

How many ASINs can I put in one report?

Up to 50 products for the same infringement type and specific issue, entered as comma-separated ASINs, ISBN-10s or product URLs. Different issues need separate reports.

When is a test buy required?

Amazon requires a test buy with an order ID when you report a single offer for trademark or copyright infringement. It is not required for a whole-ASIN trademark report, but it is the strongest proof in any counterfeit case.

Can I stop unauthorized sellers of my genuine products with a report?

Generally not in the U.S. store. Amazon lets sellers use a trademarked name to list authentic goods and does not treat MAP or distribution breaches as IP infringement, so channel problems need commercial solutions.

What happens if I file an inaccurate report?

Amazon says multiple inaccurate or inauthentic notices could lead to removal of your submission privileges. Retract mistaken reports through the Notice Retraction Form, which covers reports from the last 365 days.

What does recording my trademark with CBP do?

CBP states it can detain, seize, forfeit and destroy imports bearing infringing trademarks or copyrights that are registered and recorded with it. You apply online through e-Recordation, and the trademark must be on the USPTO Principal Register.

Get Help With Brand Protection and Rights Owner Complaints

If counterfeits, copied images or misused brand fields are costing you sales, our team can verify your rights, build the evidence file and run reports that hold up without putting your own account at risk. Submit your case for a review, or book a consultation to plan your brand’s foundation and enforcement routine.

General educational information about Amazon policies and public government resources at the date of publication. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee any outcome. Amazon’s policies, forms and requirements change, so confirm them in Seller Central and consult a qualified attorney about your specific rights.

You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.

Brand Protection on Amazon and How to File Reports That Succeed