Amazon takes legal action against big TM fraud scheme

Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) has filed a lawsuit against multiple individuals and companies based in China and the US who are accused of obtaining invalid trademark registrations.

The activity was part of an "elaborate scheme" to abuse Amazon's Brand Registry platform, which offers a suite of brand protection tools.

The defendants collectively obtained invalid trademarks from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), with many being used to improperly gain access to the Brand Registry, according to the online commerce giant. Some of the invalid trademarks were then used to file numerous false infringement notices against other selling partners in an effort to remove their product listings, thereby reducing product selection and damaging the integrity of Amazon’s store.

This lawsuit is part of an offensive against abusive notice submitters that target Amazon’s selling partners, and follows similar lawsuits filed in 2023 and 2024.

"This lawsuit demonstrates our ongoing commitment to stopping those who attempt to abuse our brand protection tools through deceptive practices,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s CCU. “This case shows how we are working to protect both our sellers and customers from those who try to gain unfair advantages in our store.”

Launched in 2017,  Amazon’s Brand Registry allows brands to register their logos and intellectual property to speed the removal of product listings or seller accounts that promote counterfeits, using features like image search technology.

Amazon claims that when it receives an accurate notice of infringement or detects attempted abuse, it acts quickly to protect customers and selling partners while also shutting down the accounts of bad actors.