Amazon Marketplace Sellers

For decades, internet merchants have run their businesses without the expense and inconvenience of operating a brick and mortar storefront.

Recently, this trend has progressed to internet merchants foregoing the expense and hassle of maintaining their own website and payment processing relationships, and instead selling their products exclusively through third-party auctions and marketplaces, particularly the Amazon Marketplace.

View a replay of our webinar, Legal Issues for Amazon Sellers.

The evergreen area of e-commerce requires a law firm like Kronenberger Rosenfeld to navigate entrepreneurs through the Amazon Marketplace and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) business models, their profitability, competition amongst sellers, and issues that can arise along the distribution and shipping chain. The following are just a few services the firm provides to Amazon Sellers. 

STARTUP AND BRAND ESTABLISHMENT

We create and maintain businesses, so you can minimize time and expense related to business matters and focus your time on making money. We offer a variety of services to startups, including corporate formation, contractor agreements, testimonal affidavits, IP assignment agreements, and other documents important to Amazon sellers.

COMPLIANCE WITH ADVERTISING LAWS

Undisclosed incentivized reviews and false statements on labeling and product descriptions not only violate Amazon's policies, but also violate state and federal laws, including FTC regulations. Our firm provides comprehensive guidance on complying with all federal and state advertising laws, with a particular focus on how to comply within the Amazon Markeplace.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

We support clients in developing, registering and enforcing custom intellectual property rights that will set them apart from other sellers. Our firm advises clients on properly marking products with trademark and copyright notices, and avoiding claims of infringement in packaging and marketing. We offer:

• Trademark applications and registrations with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, including advice on selecting trademarks that do not conflict with existing trademarks.
• Copyright application and registration for unique product image series, and for product labeling and packaging, with the U.S. Copyright Office.

NEGOTIATIONS AND COMPETITOR RESOLUTION

We help clients avoid and minimize disputes through negotiations with domestic and international suppliers, distributors and marketplace managers, as well as competitors. Clients turn to us for legal guidance when competitors post fake bad reviews or hijack marketplace listings. Our services include:

• Assisting in a broad range of competitor disputes.
• Sending cease and desist (C&D) letters to ASIN hijackers and counterfeiters.
• Providing ongoing anti-counterfeiting ASIN protection.
• Providing competitor product testing and enforcement of false advertising laws against competitors.

In our experience, many marketplace sellers overlook legal formalities, such as corporate formation and trademark registration, to their own detriment. If you are a marketplace seller or own an internet-based business, the internet lawyers of Kronenberger Rosenfeld can help you formalize your business and protect your rights at a cost that is comfortable to you.