How Does Amazon Brand Gating Protect Your Products?

Brand Gating refers to a process used by Amazon to control and limit the number of third-party sellers that are allowed to sell a particular brand’s products. This is done to ensure the authenticity of the products being sold, and to protect the brand’s reputation and intellectual property, including a brand’s registered trademarks.

Under the Amazon Brand Gating program, the brand owner must first provide Amazon with proof of their ownership of the brand and their products. This typically involves providing Amazon with a trademark registration or other legal documentation. Once Amazon has verified the brand owner’s claim, the brand owner can then decide which of their products they would like to be gated.

For gated brands, Amazon will only allow authorized sellers to list and sell those products. This is accomplished by requiring sellers to obtain pre-approval from the brand owner before they can start selling the brand’s products on Amazon. This pre-approval process can be done through Amazon’s Brand Registry program, which provides brand owners with a set of tools and resources to manage their brand on Amazon.

Once a seller has been approved by the brand owner, they will be able to list and sell the brand’s products on Amazon. However, Amazon will still monitor the seller’s activity and may take action if they suspect that the seller is violating the brand’s policies or Amazon’s policies.

The primary benefit of Amazon Brand Gating is that it helps to protect the brand’s reputation and intellectual property, including its registered trademarks, by ensuring that only authorized sellers are allowed to sell the brand’s products on Amazon. This can help to reduce the risk of counterfeit or substandard products being sold on Amazon, which can damage the brand’s reputation and lead to customer complaints.

In summary, Amazon Brand Gating is a process used by Amazon to control and limit the number of third-party sellers that are allowed to sell a particular brand’s products, in order to protect the brand’s reputation and intellectual property and prevent trademark infringement on the Amazon seller platform.

How To Enroll in Amazon’s Brand Gating Program

To enroll in Amazon’s Brand Gating program, a seller must follow these steps:

• Verify brand ownership: The first step is to verify the brand ownership. The brand owner must provide Amazon with proof of their ownership of the brand and their products. This typically involves providing Amazon with a trademark registration or other legal documentation.
• Enroll in Amazon’s Brand Registry: Once the brand ownership has been verified, the brand owner must enroll in Amazon’s Brand Registry program. This provides the brand owner with a set of tools and resources to manage their brand on Amazon.
• Request Amazon brand gating: After enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Registry program, the brand owner can then request brand gating for their products. This means that the brand owner can choose which of their products they would like to be gated and which ones they would like to allow other sellers to sell.
• Wait for approval: After the brand gating request has been submitted, Amazon will review it and, if approved, the brand’s products will be gated. This means that only authorized sellers will be able to list and sell those products on Amazon.
• Approve sellers: As a brand owner, you will be responsible for approving or rejecting requests from third-party sellers who want to sell your gated products. To approve a seller, you will need to provide them with a unique identifier, such as a UPC code or ASIN, that they can use to list your products on Amazon.

It’s important to note that the process of enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Gating program and getting your products gated can take several weeks or even months, as Amazon reviews and verifies the brand ownership and the brand gating request.

Once your products are gated, it will be up to you, as the brand owner, to monitor and manage the activities of the sellers who are selling your products on Amazon. This includes ensuring that the sellers are following your policies and Amazon’s policies, and taking action if necessary if a seller is violating those policies.

Is There An Amazon Gated Brand Enrollment Fee?

Enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Gating program is free of charge. There are no fees or costs associated with enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Registry program or requesting brand gating for your products.

However, there may be other costs associated with protecting and managing your brand on Amazon. For example, you may need to hire an attorney to help you obtain trademark registration or other legal documentation required to verify your brand ownership. You may also need to invest in tools and resources to monitor and manage the activities of the sellers who are selling your products on Amazon.

It’s also worth noting that while enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Gating program is free, there are other costs associated with selling on Amazon, such as Amazon’s referral fees, fulfillment fees, and advertising fees. These fees vary depending on the category of the products being sold, and can add up over time, so it’s important to carefully consider all of the costs associated with selling on Amazon before enrolling in the Brand Gating program.

In summary, enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Gating program is free, but there may be other costs associated with protecting and managing your brand on Amazon, as well as the costs of selling on Amazon itself.

Will Third Party Seller Pay To Sell Amazon Gated Products?

Yes, third-party sellers (or resellers) will need to get approval from the brand and Amazon before they can sell the gated products. Here’s what resellers need to do before they can sell a brand gated product on Amazon:

• Pay a fee of up to $1,500 per brand. This fee is non-refundable.
• Get written approval from the manufacturer to sell Amazon brand gated products.
• Send three purchase invoices for products from the manufacturer or distributor. The invoices must be from within the last 90 days.

Looking For Trademark Registration Services?

Amazon sellers that wish to enroll in Amazon’s Brand Registry program and allow third party sellers to sell authorized products must obtain a federal trademark registration issued by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).  Our trademark attorneys can assist!