Latest update: March 2020 In early March of 2019, Amazon notified many brands that they must enroll in the Brand Registry program if they wish to continue receiving purchase orders (PO’s) from Amazon Retail. While this may still not be true, if you’re considering enrolling in Brand Registry and want to know more about what it is, how it helps your brand, and how to apply, keep reading.

Amazon Brand Registry

With help from the Amazon Brand Registry program, brand owners are able take better control of their online channel giving peace of mind.  The process to apply is relatively simple, and once approved you and any authorized roles will have access to a wide variety of perks and tools.

Benefits of Brand Registry

Amazon’s heavy-handedness isn’t the only reason to enroll in Brand Registry. Brand Registry is a free service that helps you protect against IPR violations and promote an accurate representation of your brand on Amazon. Becoming brand registered provides your brand access to:

• Listing Content Authority (accelerate listing updates)
• Infringement Reporting Tool
• A+ Content (formerly enhanced brand content)
• Brand Stores
• Amazon Livestream

The benefits of Amazon Brand Registry are ever-changing, and keeping up can be hard.  We have put together an always up-to-date list of benefits for this reason.

How to Apply for Brand Registry

You must have a brand trademark before you apply for Brand Registry. You can begin the application process here.

1. If you already have an Amazon Seller Central account, use that login information when you begin the application. If you do not have a Seller Central account, follow the prompts to create an Amazon Brand Registry account before you proceed to the next steps.
2. Once you start the Brand Registry process, you will be guided through a series of forms that will ask for trademark information, brand name aliases, logo and product images, and other specific items related to your brand. For our partners, if at any time you are unsure of what to put, please reach out to your account manager.
3. When you finish, the application will be submitted for review.  At this point, Amazon will email a verification code to the Trademark Correspondent listed on the website of the agency that registered your trademark. Amazon will also provide contact information for the Trademark Correspondent so you can reach out to attain the code. 
4. After you have received the code and then provided it to Amazon via the case system, Amazon will push through your Brand Registry request in 24-72 hours. Once your request is approved, you will receive a confirmation email and your Brand Registry homepage should also show that your brand has been enrolled.

Brand Registry Roles

Once a brand is successfully registered by the brand owner, they can then delegate certain roles to other seller accounts. See below for details on available roles.

• Administrator: An individual who has full permission to assign roles to user accounts.
• Rights Owner: An individual who is the rights owner or an employee of the rights owner who is authorized to report violations.
• Registered Agent: A third party who is authorized by the rights owner to report violations.

How to Designate an Authorized Role

If you wish to give a seller the authority to report violations on your behalf and have extra authority within your listings, you must add them as a Registered Agent, Rights Owner, or Administrator. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. On the Amazon Brand Registry platform, click on Brand Registry Support.
2. Click through Update your brand profile > Update role for user account.
3. Follow the on-screen form to submit the seller’s email as the role you desire them to have.

Brand Registry is a great Amazon service, but the infringement reporting tool is still limited. If your brand is facing repeated IPR violations, you should pursue Brand Gating.

Brand Gating

Amazon introduced Brand Gating to empower brands and manufacturers to control who sells their Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASINs). The service prevents sellers from listing gated ASINs unless they can provide an authorization letter or invoice from the brand or manufacturer. Together, Brand Registry and Brand Gating are an absolute powerhouse for maintaining control of your brand presence.

High Level Overview
	BRAND REGISTRY	BRAND GATING
What is it?	Helps you protect your registered trademarks on the Amazon platform and report violators.	Allows brands and manufacturers to control the number of sellers in their listings.
What are the benefits?	Listing Content Authority Enhanced Brand Content Brand Stores Infringement Reporting Tool	Brand Protection Authorized Third-Party Retailers Pricing Control
Can anyone apply?	Yes, with registered trademark.	No, must be invited.
What is the cost?	No cost.	No cost to brand/manufacturer.

How to Gain Access to Brand Gating

Unfortunately, this service isn’t immediately accessible for all brands and manufacturers. Typically, brands must wait to be invited by Amazon to join program. Even so, there are certain steps brands can take to improve their chance of receiving the invitation.

• Report violations through Amazon.com
• Sign up for Brand Registry and report violations
  • Using the Report a Violation tool, report any and all violations properly. Amazon tracks the ASINs and brands that experience infringement issues. Once enough violations have been report, Amazon is more likely to invite a brand into the program.

Associated Fees

Currently, there are no fees for brands to become gated. However, sellers who are seeking approval to sell a brand’s products may be charged a fee by that brand ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.