Do I need a trademark to sell on Amazon?

An Amazon seller asking, “Do I need a trademark?” is like a brick & mortar retailer asking, “Does my shop need locks on the doors?” Anyone who is serious about building a business and a reputable brand name in today’s competitive economy, should view a trademark as essential, even though having a trademark registration is not strictly required to sell products on Amazon.Imagine, you go to great efforts to grow your brand and establish a niche in the market and then suddenly find someone else trading under a similar name and piggybacking on your success. Worse still, picture being handed a letter to cease and desist trading under your brand name or face consequences in court because someone else has registered your trademark!Complacency about brand protection is not worth the risk!

A registered trademark protects your brand

Online predators make this Amazon a dangerous jungle too!Hijacked listings are a growing problem on the online marketplace. Hijacking happens when someone takes over a listing for a top-selling private label product and uses it for their own benefit. Like counterfeiting and passing off, hijackers they mislead consumers to believe that their fake listing is authentic and sell them a knock-off product instead.If your product listing on Amazon is not properly set up from the beginning, you can easily become a victim of hijackers. These unscrupulous sellers are constantly on the prowl for susceptible listings on which to prey!A trademark registration is the only way to ensure that you have the legal right to exclusivity for your brand in your industry. With a registered trademark you can more easily take action in the event that someone tries to sell copies of your products or attempts to piggyback off your reputation.Hijacked listings, fraud and the sale of counterfeits is a huge problem that is increasing on a global scale. Amazon reports that they have blocked over 10 billion bad listings and seized over  2 million counterfeit products before they could be shipped to unsuspecting customers.To help combat this operational nightmare, sellers can use Amazon’s Brand Registry programme to verify authentic brands and eliminate counterfeits from the online marketplace. However, to be eligible for this programme you must apply for a registered trademark for your brand.So in a nutshell, the answer to the question, “Do I need to a trademark to sell on Amazon?” is, “No, it's not a prerequisite, but it's vital to apply for a trademark as soon as possible.” Your business’s survival could depend on it.

Trademark Planet can help you get a trademark

 Trademark Planet is here to help you to take the first and most important step to protect your brand. You can apply for a trademark online yourself in about 5 minutes using our 3-step process.We offer competitive, flat rates with no hidden fees and no surprises and for UK trademarks, we even offer a registration guarantee!The sooner you apply, the closer you’ll be to ensuring that your brand has legal “teeth”. A registered trademark increases protection and safety for both buyers and sellers:

• A registered trademark reduces the risk of consumer confusion. With a registered trademark, your customers can be sure they are buying an authentic brand.
• With a registered trademark, you can use the tools offered by the Amazon brand registry to protect your brand, to build trust and to create a safer buying experience for your customers.
• A registered trademark also suggests quality - it’s a sign that you believe in your brand and view it as a valuable asset that’s worth protecting.
• A registered trademark in your home country is a good first step for international expansion. Amazon could potentially help your business to scale globally very fast!
• Registered trademarks are effective tools to defend your trademark against unscrupulous competitors and copycats. Read Why trademarks are essential for brand protection.
• Trademarks are relatively inexpensive to obtain, compared to the massive cost of having to rebrand.

The best time to trademark your brand is today.