Amazon Intellectual Property Policy

Amazon is dedicated to providing customers with the widest selection of goods on Earth and creating an amazing customer experience. Amazon does not allow listings that violate the intellectual property rights of brands or other rights owners.

This page provides information about intellectual property (IP) rights and common IP concerns that might arise when selling on Amazon. This is not legal advice. You must consult a lawyer if you have a specific question about your IP rights or the IP rights of others.

1. What is a copyright?

   Generally, copyright law is meant to incentivize the creation of original works of authorship for the benefit of the public. To receive copyright protection, a work of authorship must be created by an author, and must have some amount of creativity. .If you are the author of an original work, and have not created the work under the direction of others, then you typically own the copyright in that work.

2. How do I know if I own the copyright for one or more of the images I am using on the product detail page?

   If you take a photo of your product, you generally have copyright protection in the photo you took, and you can use that photo on your product detail page to sell that product. However, if you find a photo on someone else’s website, you should not upload that photo to a product detail page without the other person’s permission.

   Note: When you add your copyrighted image to a product product detail page, you grant Amazon and its affiliates a license to use the material. Other sellers can list their items for sale on pages to which you have added your copyrighted images, even if you no longer sell that product. To ensure that you are not violating someone’s copyrights, make sure to upload only images or text that you have created for yourself or for which you have the copyright holder’s permission to upload.

   Refer to the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ website for more information about copyright basics and FAQs.

3. How do I know if I own the copyright for the product I am selling?

   It is important to make sure that the goods you are selling do not violate a copyright or you could lose your selling privileges and face potential legal consequences.

   You might be able to sell someone else’s copyrighted work on Amazon if you have received permission from the copyright owner or if the copyright is exhausted. Copyright exhaustion generally permits the resale of a genuine, lawfully purchased physical item (such as a book or CD) without permission from the copyright owner.

   Example: If you decide to sell a used copy of someone else’s book on Amazon, you are selling someone else’s copyrighted work. You are usually allowed to sell your particular copy of the book without further permission from the copyright owner because copyright exhaustion protects the resale of genuine, lawfully purchased items.

1. What is a trademark?

   A trademark is a word, symbol or design, or a combination of same (such as a brand name or logo) that a company uses to identify its goods or services and to distinguish them from other companies’ goods and services. Put another way, a trademark indicates the source of goods or services. Generally, trademark laws exist to prevent customer confusion about the source of goods or services.

   Example: “Amazon” is a trademark we use for many of our goods and services. Other Amazon trademarks contain both pictures and words, such as the “Available at Amazon” trademark.
   
   

   A trademark owner protects a trademark by registering it with a country-specific trademark office (such as the Japan Patent Office).

2. What do trademarks protect?

   Generally, trademark law protects sellers of goods and services from customer confusion about the source of particular goods or services.A trademark owner might be able to stop others from using a particular mark, or a confusingly similar mark, if using the mark is likely to cause a customer to be confused about whether the product being sold is the trademark owner’s product.

3. What types of trademarks are displayed on Amazon?

   Trademarks are often displayed on Amazon’s product detail pages in the form of product and brand names listed on a product detail page.

   The Japan Patent Office offers resources to learn more about trademarks.

4. Do I always need the rights owner’s permission to use a trademark?

   Just because you are not the owner of a trademark does not necessarily mean that you cannot sell another company’s product. Usually, the unauthorized use of a trademark in the creation of a product detail page is infringing only if it is likely to cause confusion as to the source of the goods.

5. As a seller, when can I use someone else’s trademark?

   Typically, a seller can use someone else’s trademark in the following circumstances:
   

   1. When selling authentic goods, a seller may use a trademarked name to list those authentic goods.
   2. When using a trademarked word in its ordinary dictionary meaning.
   3. When making truthful statements that a product is compatible with a trademarked product. For example, if you offer a cable that is compatible with the Kindle e-reader, you can use the brand name “Kindle” to indicate that compatibility in the text of your product detail page. You cannot use a logo to indicate compatibility, only the brand name. Any statement you make about compatibility must be true, and relevant for the customer’s purchase decision (for example, if your product is actually compatible with all competitor products, it is not permissible to use the brands of these products, as the customer is not at risk of buying the “wrong” product without the compatibility statement).

      “Similar to” claims (such as stating that goods are “similar to Kindle” or “equivalent to Find”) may infringe trademark law, depending on the store and circumstances. Seek legal counsel before making such comparisons.

   If you want to indicate the compatibility of your product with a product of a different brand in the product title, build your product title as follows, taking also account of Amazon Brand Name Policy. If you do not apply this format to your product title, your listing may be removed as potentially trademark infringing.

   Title format for branded compatible products

   [Your Product’s Brand Name] + [Product Name] + "for"/”compatible with”/”fits”/”intended for” + [Brand of Main Product] + [Main Product Name] + (other product title elements, if applicable)

   Examples:

   • Xandu USB charging cable, compatible with AmazonBasics speaker
   • TonTon Sleeve intended for Kindle Fire

   Title format for generic compatible products

   "Generic" + [Product Name] + "for"/”compatible with”/”fits”/”intended for” + [Brand of Main Product] + [Main Product Name] + (other product title elements, if applicable)

   Example:

   Generic Replacement filter for AmazonBasics Waterfilter A3

6. How can I make sure that I am not violating trademark law when selling on Amazon?

   It is important to make sure that the goods you are selling, and the content of your listings, do not violate a trademark or you could lose your selling privileges and face potential legal consequences. When you decide to sell goods on Amazon, ask yourself the following questions:
   

   1. Are the goods I am selling from a trustworthy distributor?
   2. How did I acquire these goods, and will I be able to prove they are authentic if the question arises?
   3. Will the way I am describing these goods cause customer confusion?
   4. Did I use a brand name or trademark in a non-confusing and truthful manner to describe compatibility (generally allowed) instead of similarity (not allowed)?

   The table below shows examples of correctly and incorrectly branded listings under Amazon listing policy:

   Listing title	Brand	Status of listing
   AmazonBasics Speaker	(blank)	Inactive listing due to incorrect Brand field. Because the Brand attribute is blank (not “AmazonBasics”), the listing title cannot imply that the product is an AmazonBasics product.
   AmazonBasics Speaker	AmazonBasics	Active listing, with correct Brand field use and acceptable title.
   Six foot USB charging cable, compatible with AmazonBasics speaker	(blank)	Active listing, with acceptable title and Brand field use, IF the charging cable is only compatible with AmazonBasics speakers and not also with all other electronic devices (if the cable is compatible with several brands but not all, it is acceptable to use the most important brand in the product title and list the others in the bullet points). Title indicates compatibility without implying that this is an AmazonBasics branded product; Brand field may be blank for generic product.
   Wireless Speakers with six foot USB charging cable, compatible with AmazonBasics speaker	Wireless Speakers Inc.	Active listing, with correct Brand Field use and acceptable title, IF the charging cable is only compatible with AmazonBasics speakers and not also with all other electronic devices (if the cable is compatible with several brands but not all, it is acceptable to use the most important brand in the product title and list the others in the bullet points).

   If you are not sure, you must consult a lawyer.

7. What is Counterfeiting?

   Counterfeiting is a specific type of trademark infringement. A counterfeit is an unlawful reproduction of a registered trademark, or a mark that is very similar to a registered trademark, in connection with the sale of a product that does not come from the trademark holder.

   Counterfeiting requires the use of a registered trademark on the product or packaging.

   A look-alike item sold on a separate product product detail page without the improper use of a registered trademark is not a counterfeit, even though the item might look similar or identical to the trademarked product. However, lookalike products may infringe upon other intellectual property rights (such as design rights) or violate other laws (such as the Unfair Competition Law).

1. What is a patent?

   A patent is a form of legal protection for inventions. An issued patent grants its owner the right to exclude others from making, using, transferring, offering to transfer, or importing the invention into Japan, for a fixed number of years.

2. What is the difference between a patent, trademark, and a copyright?

   A patent is different from a copyright in that it does not protect the expressive content of a creative work like a book or a picture, but protects a specific invention, such as a new method of printing books or a new type of camera.

   The Japan Patent Office offers resources to learn more about patents.

3. How can I make sure that I do not violate someone’s design right when selling on Amazon?

   The manufacturer or authorized distributor of a product might be able to assist you with patent-related issues. If you are unsure whether your content or product violates someone else’s patent, you should consult a lawyer before listing on Amazon.

1. What is an industrial design?

   An industrial design is a form of legal protection for an original ornamental plastic form of an object or set of lines and colors that may be applied to a product. An industrial design protects the appearance of a product and is intrinsically linked to a product.

2. How can I make sure that I do not violate someone’s design when selling on Amazon?

   The manufacturer or distributor of a product might be able to assist you with design-related issues. If you are unsure whether your content or product violates someone else’s design, you should consult a lawyer before listing on Amazon.

1. What is a design right?

   A design right is a form of legal protection for industrial designs. An issued design right grants its owner the right to exclude others from making, using, transferring, offering to transfer, or importing the item protected by the design right into Japan, for a fixed number of years.

2. What is the difference between a design right, trademark, and a copyright?

   A design right is different from a trademark in that it protects a novel design of an item (such as a new shape of a chair that is ergonomic) rather than a word or logo used to identify the source of the product (such as the brand name of the product). A design right is different from a copyright in that it does not protect the expressive content of a creative work like a book or a picture, but protects a novel design of an item, such as a new shape of a chair.

   The Japan Patent Office offers resources to learn more about design rights.

3. How can I make sure that I do not violate someone’s patent when selling on Amazon?

   The manufacturer or distributor of a product might be able to assist you with design right-related issues. If you are unsure whether your content or product violates someone else’s design right, you should consult a lawyer before listing on Amazon.

1. What happens when I receive a warning that my listing is being removed due to a report of intellectual property rights infringement? What if I own the rights to the intellectual property?

   If you receive a warning for infringement, you will have several options to appeal or dispute the claim:
   

   1. If you receive a warning for a product you never listed on Amazon, reply to the notification you received and let us know that you have never listed the reported product. We will investigate to determine if an error occurred.
   2. If you have an established relationship with the rights owner who submitted the complaint (such as, license, manufacturing or distribution agreement), we encourage you to reach out to the rights owner and request that the complaint be retracted. If we receive a retraction from the rights owner, your content may be reinstated. The rights owner’s contact information is provided in the warning you received.
   3. Trademark Response: If you believe that a rights owner, or Amazon, made an error when removing your product listing for counterfeiting or trademark infringement, reply to the notification you received and provide specific reasons as to why you believe a mistake was made. Provide any invoice or Order ID that demonstrates the authenticity of the product. We will then re-evaluate the notice and your content may be reinstated.
   4. Patent Response: If you believe that a rights owner, or Amazon, made an error when removing your product listing for patent infringement, reply to the notification you received and provide specific reasons as to why you believe a mistake was made.
   5. Copyright Response: If you believe that a rights owner, or Amazon, made an error when removing your product listing for copyright infringement, reply to the notification you received and provide specific reasons as to why you believe a mistake was made. Provide any invoice or Order ID that demonstrates the authenticity of the product. We will then re-evaluate the notice and your content may be reinstated.

2. What do I do if I have received multiple warnings of intellectual property infringement?

   If you have received multiple warnings of intellectual property infringement and you believe you are selling authentic products, appeal via your Seller Central account with the following information:

   A list of the allegedly infringing ASINs and at least one of the following:
   

   1. Invoices proving the authenticity of your products; or
   2. Order IDs demonstrating product authenticity; or
   3. An authorization letter from the rights owner (that is not a forwarded email)

3. What do I do if my account has been suspended?

   If your account has been suspended as a result of rights owners submitting notices of intellectual property infringement against your products or content, you can provide us with a viable Plan of Action that includes the following information:

   
   
   1. The reasons why you were selling allegedly infringing products or uploaded allegedly infringing content, or both
   2. The steps you have taken to ensure that you are no longer infringing;
   3. How you will avoid infringement in the future; and
   4. Any other pertinent information

   You must send your Plan of Action via your account dashboard or reply to the account suspension notification that you received. We will evaluate your Plan of Action and determine if your account may be reinstated. Note that Amazon terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

4. What if I didn’t know I was violating someone’s intellectual property?

   Sellers are expected to follow the law and Amazon’s policies. Amazon takes claims of intellectual property infringement seriously. Even if a seller is infringing on someone’s intellectual property without knowledge, we will still take action and the seller’s account might receive a warning or be suspended. You should consult an attorney for help to ensure that your business has the right procedures in place to prevent IP infringement.