Quick answer: An intellectual property complaint is a notice that a rights owner believes your listing or product infringes their copyright, trademark, or patent. Amazon removes the affected content and records the complaint on your Account Health page. You can respond by proving authenticity with invoices or order IDs, fixing the listing, asking the rights owner for a retraction, filing a copyright counter-notice, or appealing with supporting documents. Amazon takes action even when a seller infringes without knowing, and terminates repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.
IP complaints are among the fastest ways to lose listings and Account Health points on Amazon. They can also be filed against sellers who are selling genuine products. This guide explains the types of IP complaints, how each one is resolved under Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy, and how to prevent them.
The Three Types of Intellectual Property on Amazon
Amazon’s policy describes three main types of IP rights:
- Copyright: legal protection for original works of authorship, such as product photos and written descriptions.
- Trademark: legal protection for a word, symbol, or design a company uses to identify its goods and services, such as a brand name or logo.
- Patent: legal protection for inventions.
When you sell on Amazon, the policy requires you to comply with all applicable laws and not violate the IP rights of brands or other rights owners. Violations may result in loss of selling privileges or other legal consequences.
Who Files IP Complaints
Rights owners and their registered agents file complaints, often through Amazon Brand Registry. Amazon explains that a trademark owner can report an entire ASIN when a product or its packaging bears their trademark but they do not make it, or report a specific seller’s offer. When only an offer is reported, the product detail page and ASIN can remain live.
How to Respond to Each Type of IP Complaint
Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy sets out a response for each situation. This table summarizes it.
| Your situation | What Amazon says to do |
|---|---|
| You never listed the reported product | Reply to the notification and say so. Amazon will investigate whether an error occurred. |
| You have a license or agreement with the rights owner | Contact the rights owner and request a retraction. Your content may be reinstated once Amazon receives it. |
| Trademark or counterfeit claim about the product or packaging | Use the Account Health dashboard to provide an invoice or order ID that shows the product is authentic. |
| Trademark claim about the detail page | Edit the detail page so it no longer infringes and appeal from Account Health, or appeal with documents such as a letter of authorization if the removal was an error. |
| Patent claim | Reply with specific reasons you believe a mistake was made. You may provide a court order showing the product does not infringe or the patent is invalid or unenforceable. |
| Copyright claim | File a counter-notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, sent to the email in your copyright warning. |
What a copyright counter-notice must include
Amazon lists the required elements: your physical or electronic signature, identification of the removed material and where it appeared (an ASIN is generally enough), a statement under penalty of perjury that you believe in good faith the material was removed by mistake or misidentification, and your name, address, phone number, and consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate federal court.
Multiple IP Complaints and Suspension
If you have received multiple warnings and believe your products do not infringe, Amazon asks you to appeal through Seller Central with a list of the affected ASINs and at least one of the following:
- Invoices proving authenticity (pricing can be removed)
- Amazon order IDs demonstrating authenticity
- An authorization letter from the rights owner (a forwarded email does not count)
- A court order finding your product does not infringe or the IP is invalid or unenforceable
If your account has been suspended because of IP notices, Amazon says to send your appeal through your account dashboard or reply to the suspension notification. Amazon notes that it terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.
Why Genuine Sellers Still Get IP Complaints
Using someone else’s content
Copying a brand’s photos or descriptions can be copyright infringement, even when the product itself is genuine. Amazon’s policy recommends using original content.
Brand names in the wrong place
Using another company’s trademark in your title, keywords, or brand field in a way that suggests a connection can trigger a trademark complaint. Amazon’s product detail page rules set out how listings should be written.
No proof of where the stock came from
If you cannot show a supply chain back to an authorized source, it is hard to answer a counterfeit claim. Keep invoices for everything you sell.
How to Prevent IP Complaints
- Use your own photos and copy.
- Only use a brand name in a listing to describe a genuine product of that brand.
- Buy from sources whose invoices you can provide.
- Check for patents on product designs before launching private label products.
- If you own a brand, protect it with a registered trademark and Brand Registry.
Our rights owner complaint service handles IP complaint responses and retraction requests. If complaints have led to a suspension, our Amazon suspension and reinstatement team builds the appeal, and removed listings can go through our listing recovery service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when you get an IP complaint on Amazon?
Amazon removes the affected content and records the complaint on your Account Health page. Depending on the notice, you can provide authenticity documents, edit the listing, request a retraction, or file a counter-notice.
Can an IP complaint be removed?
Yes, in several ways. A rights owner can retract it, Amazon can re-evaluate it after you provide authenticity documents, or it can be resolved through a successful appeal.
Can I get an IP complaint if my product is genuine?
Yes. Copyright claims over photos and text, or trademark claims over how a brand name is used, can apply to genuine products. For counterfeit claims, Amazon accepts invoices and order IDs as proof of authenticity.
Does Amazon act on IP complaints if I did not know I was infringing?
Yes. Amazon states that even if a seller infringes without knowledge, it will still take action, and the account may receive a warning or be suspended.
Will an IP complaint affect my Account Health Rating?
Yes. The Intellectual Property Policy is one of the policies included in Amazon’s Account Health Rating.
Respond to Your IP Complaint the Right Way
Each type of complaint has its own fix, and using the wrong one wastes time. Submit your case for a free assessment, or book a consultation.
Sources
- Amazon Seller Central, Intellectual Property Policy
- Amazon Seller Central, Intellectual property for Rights Owners and Registered Agents
- Amazon Seller Central, Product detail page rules
- Amazon Seller Central, Policies included in Account Health Rating
