Amazon Brand Registry in Japan, Trademark Registration Required ?

To register your brand in Amazon Brand Registry

I’m listing my products on Amazon, and I’ve heard that Amazon brand registry is advantageous because it keeps out unauthorized third parties. I’m thinking of enrolling my brand in Amazon brand registry.

In order to enroll your brand in Amazon brand registry, you’ll have to file a trademark application with the Patent Office before the enrollment.

What does registering a trademark have to do with listing on Amazon?

Do I have to enroll my brand in Amazon brand registry ?

Enrollment in Amazon brand registry is not a procedure that you necessarily have to follow in order to sell your products on Amazon.
You can list your products on the Amazon store without enrolling your brand in Amazon brand registry.

However, there are significant advantages in Amazon brand registry for individuals and companies of Amazon sellers.

If you are thinking that the enrollment in Amazon brand registry seems like a hassle, we would like to tell you that the benefits of Amazon brand registry are much greater than the hassle involved in the process.

This article explains the benefits of brand protection through Amazon brand registry and the smooth process of enrollment in Amazon brand registry.

Eligibility requirements involves trademark registration

Amazon places great importance on protecting intellectual properties and brands in order to ensure that products can be purchased with confidence.
One of its efforts is enrollmemt in Amazon brand registry.

The enrollment in Amazon brand registry prevents malicious sellers from selling their products, which is like an endorsement from Amazon that the product is highly reliable, allowing consumers to choose the product with confidence.

On the other hand, one of the biggest advantages of Amazon brand registry for Amazon sellers is that it allows sellers to sell their products exclusively, eliminating the possibility of unauthorized sellers selling the same products.
This eliminates problems such as brand damage due to counterfeit products and price erosion due to sales competition.

For the reasons, “application for brand registry must be submitted by the trademark owner for a brand that is registered to Intellectual Property Office.

Once enrollment in Amazon brand registry is achieved, the seller, who is also the trademark owner, can report any unauthorized third party sellers or resellers to Amazon for trademark infringement, and Amazon will use this report to stop any sales by the unauthorized third party sellers or resellers.

Process for Enrollment in Amazon Brand Registry

The process from application to enrollment in Amazon brand registry is as follows:

➀ File the trademark to be enrolled in Amazon brand registry with the Japan Patent Office to be registered.

➁ Apply for Amazon brand registry

➂ Amazon reviews the application.
If the application is approved, Amazon then sends a verification code to required contacts to confirm that the application for Amazon brand registry is made by the owner of the trademark. Once this verification code is sent to Amazon, the enrollment process is complete.

The enrollment in Amazon brand registry is free of charge.

For more information on how to apply for enrollment in Amazon brand registry, please refer to the following article

Trademark Registration for Enrollment in Amazon Brand Registry

As is mentioned above, you need to have a trademark registration by the Japan Patent Office before you apply for Amazon brand registry.

The trademarks for enrollment in Amazon brand registry must meet the following requirements.
Please note that any applications for Amazon brand registry without meeting the requirements will not be approved.

“Trademarks with characters” for Amazon brand registry

Trademarks that can be registered at the Japan Patent Office include “letter trademarks,” “graphic trademarks containing words, phrases, letters, numbers, etc.,” and “only graphic trademarks.

However, only “letter trademarks” or “graphic trademarks containing words, phrases, letters, or numbers” can be enrolled in Amazon brand registry.
You decide a trademark you want to enroll in Amazon brand registry, which must be a trademark that contains letters and/or characters.

“Registered trademark” for Amazon brand registry

A trademark registration number is entered in applying for Amazon brand registry.
The registration number is shown with “登録第**号 (Registration No. ***), which is the number that appears on the registration certificate. The registration certificate is obtainable after examination by the JPO and payment of the registration fee. Please note that the application number (in the form of 商願（Trademark Application）2023-*** starting with “商願”), which is given by the JPO immediately after filing the trademark application, is different from the registration number.

JPO Examination of Trademark Application for Amazon brand registry

Once a trademark application is filed with the JPO, the trademark is registered after being examined by the JPO, which takes approximately 4 to 10 months from application to registration (as of January 2023).

However, for those who wish to have their trademark examined as quickly as possible, the JPO offers “accelerated examination” and “fast-track examination”, which may make it possible to register a trademark earlier than usual.

Accelerated examination

The accelerated examination is quicker, taking approximately 2.1 months (actual time in 2021) to initiate the examination, but various requirements must be met, such as actually using or practicing the trademark. In addition, “Statement of Circumstances for Requesting Accelerated Examination” must be submitted to prove that the requirements are met.
Therefore, it is common for a patent attorney to charge a relatively high fee for this service.

Fast-track examination

The fast-track examination is about three months faster than regular examination (approximate estimate as of March 2022).
There is no need to submit documents such as a statement of circumstances to the JPO.
However only goods and services allowed for fast-track examination must be listed in the trademark application in order for the trademark application to be eligible for fast-track examination.

If goods or services that are not allowed for fast track examination are listed, the application will no longer be eligible for fast track examination.

Note: Fast-track examination will be suspended as of March 31, 2023.
The resumption date has not yet been determined.
Reference: JPO website

I see that I need to file a trademark application so that the brand is enrolled in Amazon brand registry. I’ll get the application ready right away.

File trademark application using “Amazing DX” to enroll in Amazon brand registry!

We hope you have learned that in order to proceed with the enrollment in Amazon brand registry, you must first file an application for a trademark with the IP office.

HARAKENZO WORLD PATENT & TRADEMARK offers “Amazing DX”, a low-cost trademark registration service that makes full use of remote and online services in collaboration with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and patent attorneys specializing in trademarks.

There are several reasons why Amazing DX is the best choice for Amazon brand registry.

　Low cost from trademark application to registration

Enrollment in Amazon brand registry itself is free of charge.

However, you must pay fees for trademark registration with the Japan Patent Office.
You want to enroll your brand in Amazon brand registry, but you must keep the cost of trademark registration as low as possible.

For those who want to file a trademark application suitable for their business, but do not want to spend as much time and money as possible, “Amazing DX” is recommended.

Amazing DX” is a service that uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology to perform the entire process from trademark search to application online.
As a result, the cost from application to registration is as low as 584 USD (including 29,200 JPY for JPO stamps) for one class.
Generally, a request to a patent attorney to file a trademark application requires about 100,000 JPY, so the expense is considerably reduced.

Furthermore, the search tool having a function of searching same trademark is provided, and the search results are immediately displayed. So it is useful for determining whether there is already a registered trademark for the same trademark and the possibility that the application will be rejected.
Use of the search tool is FREE.

For fees for the second and subsequent classes, please see the page.

　Short filing time

In order to proceed with enrollment of your brand in Amazon brand registry, it is of utmost importance to file your trademark application promptly.

With Amazing DX, all you have to do is (1) enter the trademark you wish to file, (2) select and check the designated goods and/or services, and (3) enter your information on the screen to complete the process. We will then prepare the necessary documents and file the trademark application with the JPO.

From your request to the filing of the application with the JPO, the process can be completed in one day.

　Fast-track examination is available

As mentioned above, it is necessary to promptly file a trademark application to be registered in order to enroll in Amazon brand registry.

Since all designated goods/services in a trademark application filed using Amazing DX meet requirements for “fast-track examination,” the fast-track examination can be inevitablly conducted by the JPO and the time required to obtain trademark rights can be shortened.

　Forwarding of Amazon verification codes

Before approval for enrollment in Amazon brand registry, Amazon will send a verification code to our firm, as the applicant’s agent, to confirm that the application for brand registry has been made by the trademark applicant himself/herself.

We promptly forward a verification code to applicant’s e-mail address provided in advance.
Once you have sent the verification code to Amazon, your enrollment in Amazon brand registray is complete.　

Summary

HARAKENZO WORLD PATENT & TRADEMARK is a leading patent firm with over 40 years of experience. We have many patent attorneys who specialize in trademarks.

“Amazing DX” allows you to request a trademark application on the screen. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact us via chat. The communication is handled by a patent attorney specializing in trademarks.

HARAKENZO WORLD PATENT & TRADEMARK will be responsible for the procedures with the Japan Patent Office as a representative.
We can process your trademark application quickly and cost-effectively, while ensuring the quality of our service.

Please try our trademark search.