How does Amazon tackle the sale of counterfeit products?

Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world, and one of the problems the company faces is the sale of counterfeit goods. For this reason, it is combating this phenomenon in various ways, including by introducing strict regulations for sellers who offer fake products on their platform. Recently, Amazon collaborated with Brother, a company that incurs losses due to dishonest sellers offering counterfeit printer inks from this manufacturer on the platform. As a result, together with Brother, it filed a civil lawsuit against 18 individuals suspected of selling counterfeit products in Germany to force them to cease selling the counterfeit inks.

How does Amazon combat the problem of counterfeit sales?

Brand Registry Programme

Amazon has introduced the Brand Registry programme, which allows brands to protect their intellectual property on the platform. Thanks to this programme, brand owners can more easily protect their logos, names, product descriptions, and other information related to their identity.

Changes to Seller Registration Procedures

Amazon has made changes to registration procedures for sellers to increase the platform's safety and protect customers from counterfeit products. Now, to sell on Amazon, sellers must verify their identity and provide information about their products, such as barcode and manufacturer's information.

Customer Protection System

The company has implemented a customer protection system that enables customers to report issues with products they have purchased on the platform. If a customer reports an issue with a counterfeit product, the company will take steps to remove the product from the platform and offer a refund to the customer.

Effective Tools for Detecting Sellers Offering Counterfeits

The platform uses advanced tools, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to detect sellers offering fake products. With these tools, Amazon can quickly identify and remove counterfeits.

The Dispute with Fraudsters is Another Step Towards Protecting Customers

In February 2023, it was reported that Amazon and Brother International Corporation filed a lawsuit against counterfeit sellers for copyright and trademark infringement. According to reports, at least 18 individuals were offering counterfeit original products. To increase their profits, they impersonated the original brand, misleading customers and harming Amazon's reputation, which meant significant financial losses for Brother. Such actions are contrary to the platform's policy, which seeks to protect its customers from counterfeits and maintain a good reputation and trust in the brand. As part of its efforts against the sale of fake products, it is taking several steps, such as:

Seller Verification - Amazon thoroughly checks the identity and sales history of each seller, allowing for the elimination of dishonest individuals and companies.

Warnings and Penalties - The company imposes strict sanctions on sellers who violate sales policy. Depending on the severity of the violation, they may be punished with fines, account suspensions, or even removal from the store.

Prevention - The platform seeks to act preventively by utilizing advanced tools, such as automated systems for detecting irregularities in sales, which enable quick identification and removal of fake listings.

These actions contribute to increasing customer trust in Amazon and to protecting original brands from fraud and unfair competition. The fight against counterfeits is an important element of the platform's strategy, which cares about the quality and safety of its products and good relationships with customers and business partners.

Protection for Sellers and Customers

Through the aforementioned actions, Amazon effectively protects the rights of entrepreneurs selling through this platform. Currently, every marketplace allows sellers from around the world to list offers, so protecting copyright and patent rights is a key task for entities managing sales in e-commerce. An extremely important aspect is also eliminating counterfeits from the market that could reach customers convinced they are purchasing original products. Effective fighting against counterfeiting is only possible by joining forces between platforms and sellers.

Happy Selling

Amata Borys-Chudek

Go2Market Crew