The infringement of intellectual property (IP) is a steadfast problem for sellers and brand owners on Amazon—now in 2025. It doesn’t matter what form it takes, whether it’s a phony product listing, an unlicensed reseller, or someone just plain stealing your images or your patented technology. Amazon offers an array of tools sufficient for maintaining the integrity of your brand. But are you employing them correctly?
This guide explains how to report Amazon trademark, patent, and copyright infringement and to make your takedown efforts succeed.
Why Reporting IP Infringement on Amazon Matters
Amazon’s enormous third-party marketplace offers possibilities—but also risks. Not enforcing your IP rights can:
- Undermine the reputation of the brand
- Obscure the identity of the customers
- Diminish the revenues
- Create an opportunity for even more violations
Taking prompt and tactically thought-out steps is essential to safeguarding your company and ensuring that you are compliant with Amazon’s rules and regulations.
Step-by-Step: How to Report Trademark Infringement on Amazon
Common trademark violations occur when sellers do not have permission to use the brand name or logo but use it anyway to sell products. They might use it in online directories, on their websites, or in storefronts. And they might use it in ways that are confusingly similar to or not obviously different from how the brand itself would use it. That’s a trademark violation. It harms the ability of the brand owner to control how and where the brand is seen and used.
To report a trademark infringement:
- Register with Brand Registry: Brand Registry enables you to protect your intellectual property on Amazon and builds a foundation for your brand’s presence in Amazon stores.
- Collect proof of the infringing advertisement(s) (screenshots, URLs, ASINs).
- Submit the complaint via the Amazon Report Infringement Form.
- Select “Trademark Infringement” and add both your registration number and proof of ownership.
- Monitor the complaint through your Brand Registry account.
Pro Tip: Make sure that the mark you register covers the category of products and the ways in which they’re used that you’re trying to enforce.
How to Report Copyright Infringement on Amazon
Problems with copyright often start when someone uses your content without asking first. This is especially true for:
- Product descriptions
- Photos or videos
- Instruction manuals or packaging content
To notify Amazon your copyright is being infringed:
- Identify to Amazon what your copyrighted work is. Be specific and include any and all details.
- Then tell them what they did that was wrong. Again, be specific and clear. Use short sentences and easy-to-understand language.
Pro Tip: Register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office prior to infringement. This will provide you additional legal leverage, including possibly statutory damages.
How to Enforce Patents on Amazon: APEX (Amazon Patent Evaluation Express)
Disputes over patents necessitate a more specialized procedure. By 2025, APEX (Amazon Patent Evaluation Express) has largely replaced the former NPE (Neutral Patent Evaluation) process, which closely resembled binding arbitration. APEX is much faster and cheaper. It issues a nonbinding evaluation. If Amazon sellers don’t take down infringing listings after an APEX ruling, patent owners can still sue in federal court.
Steps to use APEX:
- File a complaint via Amazon’s internal APEX request system, including proof of a legitimate U.S. utility patent, alongside demonstrations of the pertinent ASINs that are infringing upon that patent.
- Amazon reaches out to the accused sellers and extends to them the chance to be part of the evaluation.
- Each party pays a fee; the fee is refunded to whichever party prevails.
- A patent attorney who is independent assesses whether the product that is being accused likely infringes upon the asserted patent claim.
- Should the ruling favor the patent holder, listings identified as infringing are removed almost instantaneously by Amazon.
Pro Tip: The APEX program only accepts valid U.S. utility patents. Currently, design patents, applications that are still in the pipeline, and patents from outside the U.S. cannot be used in APEX. Ensure that the charts showing your patent claims are easy to understand and provide strong evidence for your claims.
What Not to Do: Common Pitfalls
Don’t make these errors that can postpone or upset your takedown:
- Submitting unclear or insufficient reports
- Attempting to impose enforcement on trademarks that are not registered
- Filing complaints when there is no real belief that rights are being infringed
- Employing harassment or threats in communication
Bonus: Best Practices for a Successful IP Enforcement Strategy
- Work with your counsel to ensure your IP is registered before issues start cropping up.
- Consistently check listings using tools such as Amazon Transparency or Project Zero.
- Send letters to stop and desist before making takedown requests when it is appropriate and right to do so.
- Maintain precise documentation of every report and the replies from Amazon.
Seek guidance from an IP attorney to steer clear of overreach and retaliation.
In 2025, safeguarding your intellectual property on Amazon demands an approach that is both proactive and well-documented. Be it a counterfeit, an unauthorized reseller, or hijacked images, Amazon supplies many avenues to enforce your rights. But they could only be traveled if you take the steps leading up to them.
If you have to deal with the same infringement problems over and over or need expert assistance to make your rights stick on Amazon, get in touch with us to set up a consultation.
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