Selling in Amazon’s store opens a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We make it straightforward for businesses to set up a selling account, but very difficult for bad actors to do so. Through our continued investment in artificial intelligence (AI), we have improved our proactive controls, automating and scaling our intellectual property protection and counterfeit detection systems. These systems operate continuously throughout every step of the process—from the moment someone tries to register a new selling account, create a new listing, or update existing listing information. In most cases, bad actors are stopped from even creating an account or listing a single product for sale, and prohibited content is stopped before a customer ever sees it.

Seller Verification

Amazon uses advanced technology and expert human reviewers to verify the identities of potential sellers. When prospective sellers apply to sell in Amazon’s store, they are required to provide a form of government-issued photo IDs, along with other information about their business. We employ advanced identity detection methods like document forgery detection, image and video verification, and other technologies to quickly confirm the authenticity of government-issued IDs and whether they match the individual applying to sell in our store. In addition to verifying these, Amazon’s systems analyze numerous data points, including behavior signals and connections to previously detected bad actors, to detect and prevent risks.

Continuous Monitoring

From the moment a seller lists a product for sale in our store, our advanced technology continually scans for potential infringement. For example, our tools use advanced machine learning to prevent the attempted listing of counterfeit or infringing products—scanning keywords, text, and logos which are identical or similar to registered trademarks or copyrighted work. We use the data and learnings gathered throughout these processes to innovate and improve our proactive protections. When we receive a valid notice of infringement or a customer complaint, our machine learning algorithms use this information to learn and improve protections for brands.

Similarly, throughout the selling experience in our store, Amazon’s systems monitor selling accounts to identify anomalies or changes in account information, behaviors, and other risk signals. In the event Amazon identifies a risk of fraud or abuse, we promptly initiate an investigation using automated and/or human review, request additional information where helpful, and swiftly remove bad actors from our store.

Brand Registry

In 2017, we launched Amazon Brand Registry, a free service for brand owners regardless of whether they sell in our store. The service provides brands the ability to better manage and grow their brand with Amazon while protecting their intellectual property rights. Brand Registry allows Amazon to more effectively safeguard brands through automated protections that leverage machine learning and the data provided in Brand Registry. Our automated protections use the data brands provide to continuously scan Amazon’s store and stop potentially infringing products from being listed. Within Brand Registry, the Impact Dashboard provides brands a snapshot of Amazon’s proactive protections, including data on the volume of infringing listings blocked or removed for each brand by country and product category.

In addition to brand protection tools, enrolling in Brand Registry unlocks a suite of brand-building tools only available to brand owners, including Brand Stores, Sponsored Brands, Brand Analytics, and many more powerful features.

In the rare event that our proactive controls miss potential infringement, brands can leverage the Report a Violation tool to search for, identify, and report infringements and subsequently track their submissions within the dedicated Submission History dashboard. Through their feedback, our proactive controls and tools become more effective over time.

Stopping Fraudulent Trademarks in Collaboration with the USPTO

Amazon relies on the accuracy of the trademark information provided by brands in order to ensure that fraudulent trademark applications and registration are not used to enroll in Brand Registry, working with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to prevent fraud and abuse in the trademark system. Our team directly receives and acts upon information from the USPTO regarding registration status and parties that have been subject to USPTO sanctions, including attorneys that have been blocked by the USPTO. We leverage this information to remove false, and otherwise abusive, brands and share trends within our store with the USPTO to support their investigation of potential fraud by anyone attempting to disrupt the U.S. Trademark Registration system. This information sharing also ensures that fraudulent trademark applications and registrations are not used to enroll in Brand Registry. In 2024, Amazon continued to identify sanctioned trademarks, helping our teams scale our efforts to detect and enforce bad actors in Brand Registry.

Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (APEX)

In addition to providing trademark infringement and anti-counterfeiting protections, we launched APEX in 2018 to give utility patent owners a forum to effectively resolve patent infringement disputes at a much faster speed than the traditional court system. APEX allows brands to request evaluations for disputes of utility patents and track the decision process through the Report a Violation tool. Because of the technical complexity of many utility patents, a patent infringement lawsuit often lasts several years, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. The APEX process invites a neutral third-party expert evaluator to determine if a product is infringing, reducing the time it takes to obtain a decision. The APEX process also ensures that the winning party does not pay any of the legal costs.

Intellectual Property (IP) Accelerator

Amazon’s IP Accelerator helps small businesses efficiently obtain intellectual property rights, offering a trusted and cost-effective way for business owners to protect their brands. IP Accelerator expedites a brand’s access to Brand Registry, jump-starting Amazon’s protection tools and brand-building benefits.

Project Zero

Project Zero combines Amazon’s advanced technology with the sophisticated knowledge that brands have of their own intellectual property and how best to detect counterfeits of their brands. This happens through our powerful brand protection tools, including automated protections, product serialization capabilities powered by Transparency, and the unprecedented ability we give brands in Project Zero to directly remove counterfeit listings from our store.

Transparency

Transparency is a product serialization service that prevents counterfeits from reaching customers by using codes to uniquely identify individual units of enrolled products. These codes can be scanned throughout the supply chain and by customers to verify authenticity using the Amazon Shopping App or Transparency App, regardless of where the products were purchased. Amazon verifies these codes to ensure that only authentic units are shipped to customers. Transparency is also interoperable with brands existing serialization systems—allowing many brands to enroll without requiring any changes to their manufacturing or packaging processes.

In partnership with brands and law enforcement, we have been able to hold more bad actors accountable through civil litigation and criminal referrals to law enforcement organizations—working to stop them from abusing our and other retailers’ stores across the industry in the future. While we believe we have made a great deal of progress, we remain committed to continued innovation and will not rest until we drive counterfeits to zero.

Counterfeit Crimes Unit

Our Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) is a global team that includes former federal prosecutors, FBI agents, expert investigators, and data analysts. CCU, customs agencies, and law enforcement share information to track down counterfeiters, shut down bad actors’ accounts, seize counterfeit inventory, and prosecute those involved. CCU has disrupted counterfeiters and their networks through civil suits, joint enforcement actions, and seizures with law enforcement worldwide, including against suppliers, logistics providers, social media influencers, fake invoice providers, and more.

The fight against counterfeits is a global one, with bad actors operating across many retail channels and constantly trying new tactics in an attempt to evade our detection. When we find a counterfeit, we go beyond our store, working upstream to identify the warehouses and distribution network involved in the counterfeit production so we can prevent these products from re-entering the supply chain. This protects and benefits customers whether they are shopping on Amazon or elsewhere.

Blueprint for Public and Private Sector Partnership to Stop Counterfeiters

In 2021, we launched a blueprint for private and public sector partnership to stop counterfeiters. Since publishing the blueprint, the importance of private and public sector collaborations has grown alongside interest in these partnerships. We are excited to see these relationships expanding and are encouraged that others in the industry are adopting the practices we are championing.

In 2024, we saw a number of successes within each pillar of the blueprint:

1. Exchanging information about counterfeit activity to help stop counterfeits at the border: Amazon advocates for greater information sharing to stop counterfeits at the border. We continue to expand our work with customs agencies to mutually exchange information on counterfeit activity. We can aid customs agencies in their detection, search and seizure efforts, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to dismantle criminal networks behind these illicit goods. Customs agencies can work with us to not only stop the shipments they seize, but to also help freeze other assets and inventory from counterfeiters that we may know about.

   In 2024, Amazon partnered with U.S. and Japanese customs agencies in stopping more than 90,000 counterfeits from reaching domestic supply chains and harming customers through exchanging information on counterfeit goods seized by customs authorities.
   

2. Sharing information about blocked counterfeiters to help the industry stop more counterfeiters earlier: We believe that there should be more private sector information-sharing. As we laid out in the 2021 blueprint, it’s critical that both private and public sector partnerships include greater sharing of information. Our membership in the Anti-Counterfeiting Exchange (ACX), which is an industry collaboration in the U.S., is designed to make it more difficult for counterfeiters to move among different stores, and safer for consumers to shop anywhere they choose. We are eager to see the same or similar efforts across the globe, which will help partners across the industry expand their individual and collective efforts to detect counterfeits and stop them from reaching consumers. We continue to support collaborative anti-counterfeiting best practices in the EU, such as those laid out in the EU Toolbox against counterfeiting and the framework of the EU Memorandum of Understanding.

   In November 2024, Amazon joined industry leaders at Anti-Counterfeiting Group’s (ACG) Annual International Conference. This gathering of intellectual property (IP) policymakers, brand protection professionals, and innovators facilitated discussions around the theme of “Counterfeiting and Illicit Trade in the Digital Age.” Amazon’s Global Director of Customer Trust, Katharine Lister, participated in the panel, “The Secrets to Fighting Transnational Counterfeiting On and Offline,” alongside Nicola Consterdine, IP protection manager at Epson Europe, and Jan De Visser, brand protection lead at Philips. Collective knowledge-sharing initiatives like these help support global efforts to combat the challenges counterfeiting presents.
   

3. Increasing resources for law enforcement to prosecute counterfeiters: Amazon acknowledges and respects the hard work of law enforcement and prosecutors in fighting counterfeiters around the world. We are proud of the work we have done together to combat these criminals and will continue to share information regarding confirmed counterfeiters blocked from selling in our store. We will continue to provide authorities with high-quality criminal referrals and evidence to enhance their ability to hold counterfeiters accountable and go further in dismantling their supporting criminal networks.

   In 2023, Amazon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Italian Ministry of Internal Affairs that aims to bolster the fight against counterfeiters in Italy. Through the MOU, Amazon shares information about the modus operandi of counterfeiters with the Ministry, supporting their internal efforts to develop policies and resources that support law enforcement action. Through this partnership, Amazon and the Ministry have highlighted the importance of collaboration and prioritizing anti-counterfeiting resources for law enforcement. Amazon’s efforts in fostering public and private collaboration and in developing new, proactive anti-counterfeiting strategies were highlighted by the Ministry in their five-year report, “Counterfeiting: The evolution of this criminal phenomena in the online and offline market (2018-2022).”

   In 2024, a year after signing the MOU, the Ministry presented its first joint report with Amazon, “Online Counterfeiting: Analysis of the phenomenon, modus operandi and law enforcement actions.” The report summarizes our respective anti-counterfeiting experiences and aims to more closely unite the public and private sectors in Italy through knowledge sharing initiatives, providing guidance for those involved in IP protection, and safeguarding consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the Made in Italy sector. The Italian association for the protection of IP, INDICAM, also participated in the publication.

While we are proud of the partnerships and collaborations that we have developed across the public and private sectors over the past year, we know that there is more that can be done to raise the bar on anti-counterfeiting efforts.

Our robust proactive controls protect our customers while they shop the Amazon store. But we don’t stop there. We give consumers the information they need to protect themselves from bad actors and scale this work through our public and private sector partnerships—making the shopping experience a safer one no matter where they shop.

But we know that we can scale our efforts and be more effective by working together across the private and public sector. So, we regularly engage with other interested parties from within the industry, consumer advocacy organizations, governments and regulators, academia, and others that share our desire to work collaboratively to protect consumers and small businesses. We launch private sector information-sharing agreements and participate in voluntary product safety pledges with governments all over the world, and continue to seek out other opportunities to collaborate and drive positive, substantive impact.

In 2024, we worked alongside industry leaders to advance these efforts even further.

Collaborating with INDICAM and H-FARM College to teach Generation Z about the risks of counterfeits

In partnership with INDICAM, the Italian Association for the protection of intellectual property, Amazon organized an event for over 600 students of H-FARM College, called ‘Challenge the Fake’. The students were asked to suggest concepts for communication and marketing campaigns targeting their peers in order to tackle the sale of counterfeit items and promote the protection of intellectual property. The winning campaign, “DEFAKE Contest,” created by Leonardo Brustolin, Yasin Dibouch, and Luca Granieri, proposed a social media contest featuring musicians rapping about the importance of purchasing original items. Recordings of freestyle sessions and actual tracks communicated how “uncool” buying counterfeit actually is. After the competition, the student winners visited Amazon’s offices in Milan and presented their project in front of INDICAM’s members and Amazon teams.

Working alongside the International Trademark Association to drive anti-counterfeiting awareness

In collaboration with the International Trademark Association (INTA), Amazon launched the 2024 Unreal Campaign Challenge, asking global DECA members to produce a 60-second public service announcement video that highlights the dangers of purchasing counterfeit. The winners were recognized at DECA’s annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in front of thousands of students.

“With the support of Amazon, INTA’s Unreal Campaign is driving awareness about the dangers of counterfeit goods,” said Rachna Bakhru, chair of the Unreal Campaign Committee at INTA. “These young consumers shop across all types of retailers and can be particularly vulnerable to these illegal activities. We look forward to continuing the great work we’ve done with the Unreal Campaign, working with Amazon to ensure our message and education reaches our audience and helps protect them from harm.”

In support of INTA’s Unreal Campaign, Amazon also gave a lecture to MBA students at the SDA Bocconi campus in Milan, raising awareness about counterfeiting and the importance of partnership.

Presenting the latest in brand protection at Italy Anti-Counterfeiting Week

Since 2016, the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy (MIMIT) has organized Italy’s Anti-Counterfeiting Week as a time to talk through challenges and educate consumers, particularly young adult consumers, on the risks associated with counterfeit goods. Amazon participated in a number of events to support the week’s 2024 campaign by presenting our latest developments in brand protection with industry leaders, institutions, and law enforcement at the event, “Policy Dialogue on Reinforcing the Protection of IPRs against Online Counterfeiting: Challenges and Remedies in the Digital Age,” organized by INDICAM, INTA, and MIMIT. Our teams also participated in MIMIT’s panel discussing best practices for combating counterfeiting in the digital era.

Joining the EUIPO call to promote intellectual property rights

In 2024, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) issued a call for expression of interest, inviting marketplace service providers (MSPs) to work with the EUIPO on educating and raising awareness of IP—lending their expertise to businesses throughout the EU. In 2024, Amazon announced that we are joining the EUIPO in this effort. Through this collaboration, Amazon, the EUIPO, and other participants will jointly offer training on IP topics, share IP-related information and materials, and participate in events designed to explain the benefits of IP and how to leverage it.

Emphasizing the importance of collaboration at Brand Protection Day with Andema

In 2024, Amazon and Andema (Spanish Association for the Defense of Brands), hosted the third annual Brand Protection Day event in Madrid. The event was open to Andema’s members, consisting of numerous Spanish brand owners and company executives. Elisa Rodríguez, director of the Spanish Office for Brand and IP Protection (OEPM), and executives from brands like BMW Group attended the event—emphasizing the importance of collaboration across the private and public sector to protect intellectual and industrial property. Members also shared their own experiences of utilizing Amazon’s brand protection programs and tools.

A-to-z Guarantee

Amazon’s commitment to being Earth’s most customer-centric company is central to our approach to anti-counterfeiting and IP protection. As part of this commitment, we’ve developed industry-leading programs that protect our customers in the event our proactive controls and tools miss something.

For decades, our A-to-z Guarantee has ensured that customers are covered and eligible for a full refund for any item they purchase if the customer isn’t happy with the condition or timely delivery of that product. This protects customers whether they bought the item from Amazon or an independent selling partner. Over the last few years, we went even further. Even if a customer doesn’t contact us, if we identify a customer purchased a counterfeit product, Amazon proactively contacts the customer, informs them they purchased a counterfeit product, and fully refunds their purchase. No customer action is necessary.

Through these efforts, we remain dedicated to ensuring our customers can shop with the utmost confidence through every step of their shopping journey.