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In recent years, Amazon has made a lot of efforts to improve its reputation and remove the label of "rampant counterfeit goods". Recently, there have been reports that some sellers have had their accounts blocked due to problems with their suppliers. In fact, this is not the first time that this has happened. Some sellers speculate that these suppliers are on the so-called "risky suppliers" list within Amazon, and most of the products purchased from them are problematic. Therefore, sellers who list these products will be judged as bad actors by Amazon, resulting in their accounts being blocked. Regardless of whether this internal Amazon "risky supplier" list exists, it is certain that Amazon attaches great importance to combating counterfeiting and takes strong measures to deal with issues such as false reviews and counterfeit products . Recently, Amazon once again took action to combat counterfeiting, and many sellers were sued and related stores were frozen. Amazon joins forces with brands to fight counterfeiting again! It is learned that on July 17 this year, Amazon's Counterfeit Crime Unit (CCU) filed a lawsuit against bad actors who advertised and sold counterfeit Fire TV remote controls in Amazon stores on the grounds of deceiving consumers and infringing Amazon's intellectual property rights . Amazon's internal investigation confirmed that the products sold by these bad actors were not authorized by Amazon and used counterfeit Amazon Smile trademarks. In addition, these counterfeit products, including the plastic body, buttons, and printed circuit board components and structures of the remote control, have many defects. Currently, Amazon has frozen the accounts of the defendants involved . In addition, Amazon has proactively informed consumers who purchased counterfeit products and provided refunds. It is understood that this lawsuit is the first time that CCU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Amazon brands and Amazon products, which is of great significance . At the same time, CCU stated that it will continue to take legal action against bad actors who attempt to sell counterfeit products in the future, regardless of whether these products come from independent brand owners or Amazon's own products. In addition to Amazon’s internal crackdown on counterfeits, many brands are now working with Amazon to combat counterfeiting. It is learned that recently, the well-known camera manufacturer Canon asked Amazon to immediately remove some printer toner cartridges from its website on the grounds of infringement of intellectual property rights. List of infringing listings listed by Canon It is worth noting that this is not the first time Canon has cooperated with Amazon to combat counterfeit products. In May of this year, Amazon and Canon filed a joint lawsuit against 29 sellers for "attempting to advertise, market and sell camera batteries and chargers in Amazon stores . " From Amazon’s internal reviews to its collaboration with brands to combat counterfeits, we can see that Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting actions have become more frequent and the results achieved have been remarkable since this year. Patent costs rise? Sellers' profits may be squeezed According to the third "Brand Protection Report" released by Amazon, Amazon has achieved great success in its anti-counterfeiting operations in 2022. The report emphasizes that last year alone, 1,300 counterfeit-related cases were tracked down through litigation and criminal referrals in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and China. In one case, Amazon cooperated with multiple public security bureaus in China to conduct a surprise raid on a factory and seized more than 240,000 items . It is understood that in addition to joining forces with different countries to take legal action against counterfeiters, Amazon has also stepped up its scrutiny through various verification methods. Amazon's first line of defense is the seller verification tool , which blocked 800,000 attempts by bad actors trying to sell counterfeit goods to open accounts , the report said . This is understood to be much lower than the 2.5 million attempts in 2021 and the 6 million attempts in 2020. The report noted that this is because Amazon's strict review of new sellers and the legal accountability of bad actors have a deterrent effect . Not only that, Amazon also added a video chat identity verification method in 2022 to increase its scrutiny of sellers. This year, the further strengthening of account video verification also reflects Amazon's tough attitude. It is worth noting that Amazon's brand registration program is also an important part of its anti-counterfeiting campaign. Its brand registration requires sellers to successfully register their trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) before they can apply. Through cooperation with the USPTO, Amazon has identified and removed about 5,000 brands that infringe trademark rights . However, according to foreign media reports, the director of the USPTO notified the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC) in May this year that the USPTO intends to revise trademark-related fees and released a preliminary trademark fee proposal and fee-related materials . New single application filing system and associated surcharges ▲ Picture excerpted from jdsupra Although the current proposal is not the final version and it is unclear when it will take effect, it also shows the USPTO's attitude towards a thorough reform of the existing trademark and patent fee structure . In the future, the increase in trademark and patent fees may become a new trend. On the one hand, this is conducive to the protection of brand products and to a certain extent improves the vicious competition of bad money driving out good money, but on the other hand, the seller's cost will further increase, and the existing profit space may be compressed. In any case, Amazon's current anti-counterfeiting results are significant. But even so, as the number of products and sellers on its platform increases year by year, it will become more difficult to control products and sellers in all aspects. In this case, many loopholes are inevitable, and Amazon's anti-counterfeiting road is still long and difficult. We would also like to remind all sellers again that only by tightening the review of platforms, logistics, accounts, etc. in all aspects can compliant operations go further .
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