Amazon sellers have to follow certain protocols when selling on Amazon. They have to follow Amazon’s order fulfillment requirements, register their brand properly and ensure their products are genuine.
However, if a customer comes across copyright infringement, they may file a Report Infringement form. But what is this report, and how does it work? If you’d like to find out, keep reading!
Key Takeaways
What Is Amazon’s Copyright Infringement?
Amazon’s Report Infringement Form is a report customers or sellers can fill out when they come across copyright infringement in an Amazon listing. If a customer or a seller sees another seller using their property or trademark, they can fill out the form, and Amazon will work to have the product removed.
If you’d like to learn more about how to report copyright infringement on Amazon, how to protect copyright on Amazon, how to remove a copyright strike and more, keep reading for more facts and tips!
How Do I Report Copyright Infringement on Amazon?
In order to report copyright infringement on Amazon, sellers must locate the Report Infringement form through Seller Central. Once they’ve found the form, they must do the following:
- Declare on whose behalf you are filing the report. Amazon’s report information states that either the copyright owner or an agent on behalf of the owner may file such a report.
- Next, for the type of infringement, select “copyright.”
- Fill in the forms according to the instructions provided. Amazon requests that sellers provide as much detail as possible, and provide links to the product pages featuring the infringement on their copyright.
- Enter the ASIN for every version of the product available.
- Check to ensure you’ve included all the information required, and submit the report.
Amazon will usually take 1-3 days to process a Report Infringement form, and once the report is authenticated, Amazon will remove the copyright infringement items to allow sellers to conduct their business.
However, if sellers do not receive an email from Amazon within 3 days, it’s recommended that they re-submit the report. It’s also recommended that sellers check to make sure the product has actually been removed.
If the product is still present on the infringers page, it’s recommended that sellers re-file their Infringement report.
How Do I Protect my Copyright on Amazon?
There are a number of practices that Amazon sellers can implement into their business in order to protect their brand’s copyright. Listed below are some of the main things sellers can do:
1. Identity Copyright’s Important to Your Store
When opening a store on Amazon, sellers must first identify which copyrights in their brand are crucial to the business.
Such items could be the brand logo, creative text, apparel designs or any creative work that serves as a clear identifier to their brand.
2. Register Copyright
Once sellers have a good idea of which creative items identify their brand, it’s important that they register the copyright to ensure they retain full selling rights on their products.
In order to register the copyright, sellers must file a federal application with the Copyright Office in order to have their effective date established.
Sellers must also provide a copy of their application to the copyright office either electronically or through the mail.
However, sellers should note that it usually takes 4 to 5 months for a copyright application to be approved, but it may take longer depending on the business an Amazon seller specializes in.
Once sellers have had their copyright approved, they will be given further protection against copyright infringement.
What Can I Report as Copyright Infringement on Amazon?
Sellers can report a number of things as a copyright infringement on Amazon, and these categories are listed below:
- ASIN Level: if sellers see their text or image on a product or packaging material and they didn’t grant permission for its use, the ASIN can be reported for copyright infringement.
- Seller Level: If an offer from the competing seller’s page infringes upon a seller’s copyright, they can report it.
- Image or Text: Similar to an ASIN report, an image or creative text that is present on a product without authorization may be reported. If the image or text is reported, the ASIN will be removed.
What Should I Include in my Copyright Claim?
When filing a copyright claim, sellers must include the following:
- Signature of the copyright owner
- A description of the copyright and links to both the original protected item and the product infringing upon the copyright
- The seller’s contact information
- A statement relaying that the copyright owner did not grant permission for the other seller to use their material
- A further statement that the above information is accurate
All the above information should be sent to the Amazon.com Legal Department. This claim can be sent to their mail address or can be emailed to [email protected].
Sellers should note it may take Amazon a few days to approve and authenticate their claim.
If you are looking to learn more, you can also read our related posts on Amazon empty package, Amazon fake products policy, and Amazon delivered to the wrong address.
Conclusion
The Amazon Report Infringement form is a report sellers must fill out when a competing seller is using their copyright unauthorized.
In order to resolve the situation, sellers must submit the form to Amazon’s copyright office in order to have the listing removed.
Sellers can report the ASIN level, seller level, image or text used without their authorization, and Amazon will remove the listing once the report has been approved and authenticated.