Walmart Brand Portal

Walmart is intently focused on building a trusted online retail platform for its millions of customers and takes allegations of trademark infringement seriously. Each week, approximately 220 million customers and members visit approximately 10,500 virtual storefronts created on Walmart.com.  Walmart built the Walmart Brand Portal to protect the rights of owners of intellectual property.  The Walmart Brand Portal enables brand owners holding federal trademarks registered with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) to better manage and protect their brands and products on Walmart.com. If you sell products on Walmart.com, and you are a brand owner with an active registered trademark issued by the USPTO, you may be eligible to enroll.  By enrolling in the Walmart Brand Portal, brand owners will have access to a suite of tools to prevent brand dilution, trademark infringement and product counterfeits on the Walmart.com online retail platform.

Trademark infringement and product counterfeiting on online retail platforms like Walmart has significantly increased over the last decade and has become a serious problem for many online sellers, buyers and brand owners. For example, products will be offered and sold on the Walmart retail platform by certain online sellers alleging to be affiliated with a certain brand or product manufacturer, but they are not. As we all know, it is unlawful to infringe upon the intellectual property of others, but trademark infringers, product counterfeiters, listing hijackers, brand diluters, and other dubious individuals lurking on the Walmart.com platform believe they can make a quick buck and getaway scot-free. Owners of trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property who are Brand Portal members are constantly monitoring brand and product listings on Walmart.com to identify and penalize these bad actors. The Walmart Brand Portal provides brand owners with a suite of tools they can leverage to remove fraudulent brand and product listings from the Walmart retail platform.

Walmart online sellers may register for a Brand Portal account by using the seller’s existing Seller Central account.  Once enrolled, the brand owners may link the Seller Center and Brand Portal accounts.  After the accounts are linked, brand owners will be able to use their Seller Center login credentials to access the Brand Portal in a unified easy-to-use interface.

Walmart Brand Portal Features & Benefits

Walmart’s Brand Portal enables brand owners to stay alert and react quickly when they believe their products are being counterfeited and their intellectual property rights are being infringed upon.  When brand owners enroll in the Walmart Brand Portal they can manage all their brands and products in a unified easy-to-use interface, submit multiple types of intellectual property claims (including claims of trademark infringement), and track that status of submitted infringement claims in real-time.  In other words, Walmart had developed a portal for brand owners where everything is centrally located to make their intellectual property rights management effortless and streamlined.

Brand Owners May Manage Their Brands and Intellectual Property Claims in One Place

Walmart has designed the Brand Portal so that brand owner may manage their brands, product listings and intellectual property claims in a one place.  Walmart allows brand owners to register as many brands as they like so long as each of the registered brands holds an active registered federal trademark issued by the USPTO.  Through the Brand Portal, brand owners may submit and track intellectual property claims, manage authorized third-party representatives working on behalf of the brand owner, and review in real-time submitted claims and resolution reporting.

Submission of Intellectual Property Claims Through the Brand Portal

The centerpiece of the Walmart Brand Portal is the brand owners ability to protect their intellectual property, including their trademarks, through its claim submission system.  A brand owner may submit four types of claims in one easy to complete form:

• Trademark Infringement;
• Counterfeit Products;
• Copyright Infringement; and
• Patent Infringement.

Walmart allows Brand Portal members to complete just a few fields of the form to submit intellectual property claims easily and efficiently.  Plus, brand owners may authorize third-party representatives – such as the brand owners trademark attorney — to submit claims on their behalf.

Monitor All Brands and Intellectual Property Claims Submissions in One Dashboard

Once a brand owner has registered its brands and submitted any alleged infringement claims, they can monitor the status of each of their claims until final resolution.  The Walmart dashboard will show every claim that has been submitted through the Walmart Brand Portal.

Enrollment in Walmart Brand Portal

The following a step-by-step explanation of the process of enrolling in Walmart’s Brand Portal program as a registered trademark owner:

• Create a Walmart Seller Account: To enroll in the Walmart Brand Portal, you must have an active Walmart seller account. If you don’t have one, you can create one by providing your personal and business information.
• Review Brand Portal Guidelines: Before enrolling in the Brand Portal, you must review Walmart’s Brand Portal guidelines to ensure that you understand the program’s rules and requirements.
• Obtain a Trademark Registration: To enroll in the Brand Portal, you must have a valid trademark registration issued by the USPTO or another government’s trademark office. Walmart will verify your trademark registration before you can enroll.
• Gather Required Information: Before enrolling in the Brand Portal, you will need to gather the following information: (1) Your brand name, (2) Your trademark registration number, (3)  A list of product categories for the products you will be selling under your brand, (4) A clear image of your brand logo, word mark, or logo plus word mark, (5)  Contact information for your brand, and (6)  Information about your website and any other sales channels where your brand is sold.
• Submit an Application: Once you have reviewed the Brand Portal guidelines and gathered the required information, you can submit an application to enroll in the program. The application can be submitted through the Walmart Brand Portal website.
• Provide Proof of Trademark Registration: Walmart will ask for proof of your trademark registration, such as a copy of your trademark certificate or a trademark registration number. You will also need to provide evidence that you have the right to use the trademark, such as a license agreement or a statement from the trademark owner.
• Wait For Approval: After you have submitted your application, Walmart will review it and verify your trademark registration. This process can take several days or up to two weeks. If your application is approved, you will receive an email from Walmart with instructions on how to use the Brand Portal.
• Add Product Information: Once your application has been approved, you can start adding product information to the Brand Portal. This includes adding product titles, descriptions, images, and other information about your products.
• Monitor Your Trademark: Once you are enrolled in the Brand Portal, it is important to regularly monitor Walmart for any unauthorized use of your trademark. If you find any infringing listings, you can report them to Walmart using the Brand Portal’s reporting tools.
• Keep Your Trademark Registration Up-To-Date: It is important to keep your trademark registration up-to-date and to renew it when necessary. If your trademark registration expires or is cancelled, Walmart may remove your enrollment in the Brand Portal.

Note: This is a general overview of the enrollment process for Walmart’s Brand Portal program and may be subject to change. For more detailed information and the most up-to-date information, it is recommended to check Walmart’s Brand Portal website.

Should I Hire A Trademark Attorney?

Yes, it is highly recommended. Our experienced trademark attorneys can provide valuable guidance and support throughout the trademark registration process, from conducting a comprehensive trademark search to determine the availability of the trademark, to preparing and filing the trademark application, to responding to any objections or challenges that may arise during the review process, and can represent you in any legal disputes or trademark opposition proceedings.

Furthermore, our trademark attorneys can help you to navigate the complex and sometimes confusing legal requirements for trademark registration, and can help you to ensure that your application is complete and meets all of the necessary legal requirements. We can also help you to properly maintain your trademark registration, which is an ongoing process that requires ongoing renewals, monitoring and enforcement.

In short, engaging our trademark attorneys can help you to ensure that your trademark application is properly prepared, that it meets all of the legal requirements, and that you receive the full benefits of trademark protection. While it may cost more upfront to engage us, it can often save you time and money in the long run because we can help you avoid costly mistakes and ensuring that your trademark application is successful.

If you are a business owner seeking to register a federal trademark, or you are an online retail seller launching a store on Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy or other online e-commerce platform, our trademark attorneys can help. Please give us a call or contact us online by clicking the contact button and completing the form. Our trademark attorneys will respond to all inquiries within one business day.