I AM helping brands find their feet on Amazon.

Stobbs has been an Amazon IP Accelerator partner firm since the beginning of the IP Accelerator program in 2019. This means that we have been approved by Amazon as a legal service provider for the program. Nevertheless, we are not part of Amazon itself, or officially associated with Amazon and we conduct all of our work independently. We have filed over a thousand trade mark applications for Amazon sellers in the United Kingdom and Europe, and have also assisted with filings across the globe, helping Amazon Sellers grow their businesses in the process.

If you decide that you want to get started with Amazon IP Accelerator using Stobbs as your service provider, you need to start the process with Amazon directly first (just click the orange 'get started' button!) You can then browse a list of service providers based on your needs (such as your choice of service, location, languages required). You can then select Stobbs as your provider by visiting our profile.

Good news- Amazon IP Accelerator is available to brands worldwide. Stobbs can assist you with filing trade marks for the purpose of using Amazon Brand Registry in:

• United Kingdom
• United States
• Brazil
• Canada
• Mexico
• Australia
• India
• Japan
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Turkey
• Singapore
• Spain
• Benelux
• Saudi Arabia
• Sweden
• Poland
• Egypt
• The United Arab Emirates
• The European Union

Amazon IP Accelerator is focused on brands that are just starting the process of protecting their intellectual property. If you have already filed a trade mark application, you have the following options:

Option 1: Proceed with your existing application

If you choose this option, you can hire Stobbs to take over the existing application and respond to objections issued by the trade mark office (if any). However, this existing application cannot be used in the IP Accelerator program. We charge a flat fee to take over a pending application not filed by Stobbs. This flat fee covers services and expenses that normally would have been covered in the flat fees we charge to file an application initially.

Option 2: Refile for the same mark

If you’re concerned that your current application might not be set up correctly, you can voluntarily withdraw it. Stobbs can then restart the process for you. If you choose this option, you can join Brand Registry shortly after we refile the application and only the new, refiled application will proceed.

Option 3: File a different application

Alternatively, Stobbs can file a different, second, application that either covers a different product not covered in the first application, or includes a different type of mark (word mark versus design mark). We would use the second application to be granted access to Amazon Brand Registry and the first application could be added to the same Amazon Brand Registry account if it is successfully registered in the future.

Are there any hidden or additional fees?

While there are no hidden fees, you may incur additional fees if additional work is required. This includes, but it is not limited to:

• Receiving an Office Action that requires a response;
• Receiving a demand letter from a third party; or
• Receiving an Opposition filed by a third party.

If additional work is required, we will provide you with a proposed budget up front for the work, and you will not incur any further costs without your express approval. We won't start any additional work until we have received payment in full for the additional retainer.

Can I break up the payment, or is everything due up front?

We require full payment upfront before we can begin any work. However, if you need to break up your payment into multiple instalments, or pay with multiple cards, you may do so. Please keep in mind though that we cannot file the application until payment has been received in full.
 

Can I receive a refund if my trade mark application is refused?

Once the trade mark application is filed, as the fees have been used up to cover the process of doing so, they cannot be refunded. This is still the case even if the application is refused.

Please use the email address associated with your Amazon Brand Registry account when you contact an Amazon IP Accelerator legal service provider. If you do not have an Amazon Brand Registry account yet, please bear in mind that you must use the same email address for enrolment on Amazon Brand Registry as you used to contact a legal service provider for Amazon IP Accelerator. Using the same email address will prevent delays in the Amazon Brand Registry application process and will simplify access to seller benefits after you have been enrolled onto Amazon Brand Registry.

1. Once we have received your enquiry on SP Central and we have your full instructions, we will send you our proforma invoice, and we will start the process (usually within one day). Normally, we will send you the specification of goods and/or services for approval before proceeding with filing the application if you haven’t provided us with a final list of products or services to cover.
2. Once it has been filed, we should receive the official application number on the same day of filing, and we can then update the IP Accelerator programme platform. As soon as this has been done, you can submit your Brands Registry application and it usually only takes a few days for this to be approved.
3. If your mark requires a clearance search prior to starting with the process, we will do this first. Once we are happy with the results, and upon having received the full filing payment from you, we will proceed to prepare and send you our specification of goods. The rest of the timeline would be as stated above.

Amazon currently only accepts trade marks that have been issued by government trade mark offices in the following countries: 

• United Kingdom
• United States
• Brazil
• Canada
• Mexico
• Australia
• India
• Japan
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Turkey
• Singapore
• Spain
• Benelux
• Saudi Arabia
• Sweden
• Poland
• Egypt
• The United Arab Emirates
• The European Union

If your trade mark is registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), please submit the corresponding trade mark number assigned by the national trade mark office as it may differ from the trade mark number assigned by WIPO. Amazon Brand Registry is not affiliated with any of these national trade mark offices so please do not contact them for information about Amazon Brand Registry.

The simple answer is no, you do not need a trade mark to sell products on Amazon. 

However, if you want to enrol your brand in Amazon Brand Registry, or end up wanting to enforce your rights against third parties misusing your name or image on Amazon platforms or elsewhere in the future then you do need a trade mark. 

If you are a brand owner and have just launched your own private label products on Amazon, it's wise to get a trade mark now if you have aspirations of growing your brand in the future.

Yes. This is called retail wholesale, where you purchase products of another brand with the intention of reselling that product for a profit. 

As long as you are selling a legitimate product rather than a counterfeit product, and you have permission of that brand to do so, you are legally allowed to resell other brands’ products online. 

However, the brand who owns the products and the intellectual property embedded in them retains ultimate control over where and when the products using their trade mark(s) are sold. 

Whilst you are able to sell trade marked products, the brands that own the trade marks for these products may not want you to sell their products on Amazon and might file a complaint against you to Amazon.

Once your trade mark application has been filed with the appropriate trade mark or intellectual property office, Stobbs (as your legal service provider) will notify you that you are ready to enrol on Amazon Brand Registry. 

If you use Amazon IP Accelerator then you do not need to wait for the application to pass to registration to enrol on Amazon Brand Registry. You can enrol as soon as the application has been filed.

If you use Stobbs as your legal service provider for Amazon IP Accelerator, once we notify you that your trade mark application has been submitted, we will provide you with instructions on how to complete the required steps for you to apply for Amazon Brand Registry.

Registering your brand with Brand Registry gives you access to the following benefits:

• Automated protections: When you provide data about your brand, products, and intellectual property, Amazon implements preventative protections using advanced machine learning that help prevent bad listings.
• Powerful search and report tools: You will have access to the 'Report a Violation' tool that provides text and image-based searching capabilities and simplifies the process of reporting potential infringements (e.g. trade mark, copyright and patent infringements) with multiple features designed specifically for brands.
• Other brand-building benefits: You will be eligible to enrol in brand building programs such as A+ Content, Brand Stores, Sponsored Brands, and more.

Once your trade mark is fully registered with a trade mark office, Amazon Brand Registry will also unlock eligibility for advanced counterfeit protection programs such as Transparency, Project Zero, and Counterfeit Crimes Unit. Please note that the availability of these programs varies by country.

Amazon constantly monitors the status of trade mark applications filed through Amazon IP Accelerator. If your trade mark application is denied, then you will no longer have access to the brand protection features for that trade mark application. You will need to refile a new application to get the brand protection features for this new trade mark.

Once Amazon becomes aware that you have filed a trade mark application through an Amazon IP Accelerator legal service provider, they will email you an invitation to enrol on Amazon Brand Registry. Once you complete that enrolment process that they set out, Amazon will automatically enrol you in their automated brand protections, provide you with access to the Report a Violation tool, and you will receive access to other brand-building features.

No. Amazon IP Accelerator is a free program. Amazon does not charge a fee to connect you with their legal service providers. When you select one, you work with and pay the legal service provider directly.

Any sign that identifies you as the owner of your goods or services can be applied for as a trade mark. It is the badge by which customers know how to find the products or services that belong to you in the marketplace. The owner of a trade mark has exclusive rights to use of that sign in relation to the goods covered by the registration in the relevant territory.

If you are thinking about registering a trade mark, or are already using the trade mark that you plan to register, then it's crucial that you do a clearance search. A clearance search will reveal if using the trade mark that you intend to register is or will infringe the preexisting registered rights of any third party.

If you infringe a preexisting registered trade mark in such a manner, its owner can not only oppose the application, but also sue for injunctive relief, costs, and potentially damages. All of these can be difficult and expensive to deal with. If you don’t conduct a clearance search before you start using the trade mark you intend to register, you might also have to rebrand and destroy any packaging, pamphlets, business cards or any other marketing collateral displaying your brand assets which can also be very financially damaging. We always recommend conducting a clearance search as early as possible to be sure that you will not have problems in using or registering your mark in the future. We can help you identify any risks before you start the process of registering and using a trade mark.

There are two normal types of trade marks that mean you qualify for Amazon Brand Registry: word marks and design marks. However, Amazon Brand Registry only accepts word marks and design marks with words, letters or numbers. Logos without words, letters or numbers do not qualify. Neither do other types of trade marks such as colours, sounds and moving images. Nevertheless, we can advise on all aspects of intellectual property protection (even those rights that are not relevant for the purposes of Amazon Brand Registry!)

The NICE classification system is used to define the types of goods or services that a trade mark will protect. When you apply for a trade mark you must state specifically what goods and/or services it will cover. This allows others to see the scope of protection you are looking for with your trade mark. 

The list of goods and services that can be included in a UK or EU trade mark application is grouped into 45 categories (known as ‘classes’). Goods are listed in classes 1 to 34; services are listed in classes 35 to 45. One trade mark can cover multiple classes. The broader the list of specifications your application covers, the broader the legal rights you have. One thing to be aware of, though, is that the costs involved increase with each additional class you add. We can advise you on what classes to register, based on a cost-benefit analysis.

Trade marks must be renewed every 10 years but can in theory last forever.  This being said, there are ways in which a trade mark can be removed from the trade mark register. For example, if you stop using a trade mark, third parties can apply to have it removed from the trade mark register.

It is not possible to expand your list of goods/services after a trade mark application has been filed – you would need to file a new application. It is therefore important to choose the right class(es) on your trade mark application first time around. To obtain a UK trade mark, you must also sign a declaration to say that you intend to use your trade mark for the goods and services listed, and those goods and services only.

A trade mark registration is valid for 10 years until it needs to be renewed. It is therefore crucial to plan ahead and protect your trade mark in as many classes as you intend to use it for during that period.

However, it's important to note that five years after registration, your trade mark becomes vulnerable to being cancelled and removed from the register if you are not using it for the goods or services that it is registered to protect.

When you have filed your application to register your trade mark, it will be examined by the IPO (the Intellectual Property Office). You will be sent an examination report by email, explaining whether the IPO has decided that your trade mark is registrable or not and informing you whether there are any identical or confusingly similar trade marks already on the register. On receipt of your examination report, you normally have a period of two months (which is extendable) to resolve any problems. There might be some professional and/or official fees incurred during this period, if you need to take action. If the examiner has no objections, your application will be published in the trade marks journal without any further action needed from you.