For brands selling in competitive categories like beauty, supplements, medical, and pet, investing in the right Amazon brand protection services is now essential to maintaining control and scaling profitably.
Key Summary
- In 2026, the most effective Amazon brand protection solution combines Amazon-native tools with external monitoring, legal safeguards, and operational discipline.
- Amazon Brand Registry remains the foundation for all brand protection on Amazon
- Advanced programs like Project Zero, Transparency, and Brand Gating add layered defense
- AI-driven monitoring is critical as threats increasingly appear outside Amazon first
- Brand protection improves conversion rates, ad efficiency, and customer trust
What Is Brand Protection and Why Is It Critical in 2026?
Amazon brand protection refers to the strategies, tools, and enforcement processes used to prevent counterfeit products, unauthorized sellers, listing manipulation, and intellectual property misuse.
In 2026, brand protection is critical because:
- Amazon blocks over 99% of suspected infringing listings proactively using AI
- More than 15 million counterfeit products were seized globally in a single year
- Discovery now happens beyond Amazon through social, AI shopping assistants, and external marketplaces
This means brands that rely only on manual reporting are already behind. Effective brand protection on Amazon now requires automation, visibility, and strategic enforcement.
Core Amazon Brand Protection Tools Sellers Need to Know
Amazon provides several built-in tools that form the backbone of any Amazon brand protection service. Each tool serves a different purpose and works best when layered together.
Amazon Brand Registry
Amazon Brand Registry is often the first step brands take when learning how to protect your brand on Amazon. Amazon Brand Registry is the foundation of brand protection on Amazon. It gives trademark owners control over product listings, access to reporting tools, and eligibility for advanced protection programs.
Key benefits include:
- Faster reporting of infringements
- Control over titles, bullets, images, and descriptions
- Access to Brand Catalog Lock to prevent unauthorized listing edits
Brand Registry vs Brand Gating: Brand Registry provides content and reporting control, while Brand Gating restricts who can sell specific ASINs.
For a deeper breakdown of eligibility, benefits, and common mistakes, see our full Amazon Brand Registry guide.
Brand Gating
Brand gating is one of the most misunderstood Amazon brand protection tools. Brand Gating allows Amazon to restrict who can sell certain branded ASINs. Unauthorized sellers must request approval or provide invoices to list gated products.
Here are some important considerations:
- Gating is not guaranteed
- It is applied at the ASIN level, not the brand level
- Approval depends on counterfeit risk, category, and brand maturity
Brand Gating vs Brand Registry: Brand Gating controls seller access, while Brand Registry controls brand content and enforcement tools.
We break down when gating works, when it doesn’t, and how Amazon evaluates eligibility in our Amazon brand gating overview.
Project Zero
Project Zero allows eligible brands to remove counterfeit listings instantly without Amazon review. It is designed for brands with high infringement volume and strong enforcement accuracy.
Best use cases include:
- Mature brands with repeat counterfeit issues
- High-risk categories like supplements and beauty
- Brands with dedicated monitoring teams
Amazon Transparency
Amazon Transparency plays a critical role in preventing arbitrage and gray-market inventory by authenticating products at the unit level. Through unique serial codes assigned to each product, amazon transparency helps block unauthorized items but not resellers, ensuring that only verified inventory can enter Amazon’s fulfillment network.
Key advantages include:
- Blocks counterfeit units before shipment
- Verifies authenticity for customers
- Improves trust and repeat purchase behavior
Transparency is especially valuable for consumables, health-related products, and premium goods.
Want a better understanding of how arbitrage can affect prestige beauty brands? Continue reading our analysis at Why Amazon’s Arbitrage Business Model is a Threat to Prestige Beauty Brands.
Common Threats and Challenges Faced by Sellers on Amazon
Even with Amazon’s tools, sellers face persistent threats that can erode brand value if left unchecked.
- Unauthorized and Fake Sellers: Unauthorized sellers often undercut pricing, sell expired or grey-market inventory, and damage customer trust.
- Listing Hijacking: Hijackers attach to existing ASINs and change images, bullets, or variations, often leading to suppressed listings or negative reviews.
- Violation of Intellectual Property Rights: Trademark misuse, brand name theft, and design patent infringement are common, especially for international sellers.
- Review Manipulation: Fake negative reviews and review attacks can lower conversion rates and ad performance.
- Price Undercutting: Aggressive price undercutting by unauthorized sellers erodes margins and destabilizes Buy Box control, making profitable growth difficult to sustain.
How beBOLD Digital Has Helped Clients Address Seller Threats
Unauthorized Sellers & Price Erosion: A prestige beauty brand partnered with beBOLD Digital after uncovering dozens of unauthorized sellers driving price compression and Buy Box instability. By combining Brand Registry enforcement, targeted test buys, and supply chain audits, beBOLD helped remove unauthorized offers, stabilize pricing, and restore brand control within weeks.
Listing Hijacking & Review Damage: A pet brand experiencing sudden listing suppressions and review volatility worked with beBOLD Digital to implement Brand Catalog Lock, proactive ASIN monitoring, and review escalation workflows. As a result, listing edits were locked down, review abuse was addressed, and both rankings and conversion rates stabilized.
Step-by-Step Guide to Protect Your Brand on Amazon
A structured process is essential for sustainable Amazon brand protection.
1. Enroll in Amazon Brand Registry
Source: Amazon Seller University
To enroll in Amazon Brand Registry, brands must first have an active or pending trademark that matches the brand name shown on their products and listings. Sellers then apply through Seller Central by submitting trademark and brand details, after which Amazon verifies ownership and unlocks listing control, infringement reporting, Brand Analytics, and access to advanced brand protection tools.
beBOLD Digital Expert Tip: File trademarks early, even before launching on Amazon. Brands with pending trademarks can often access Brand Registry faster using Amazon’s IP Accelerator, reducing exposure during early growth.
For a step-by-step guide on how to register a brand on Amazon, head over to How to Register Your Brand on Amazon.
2. Monitor Fake Listings
To monitor and identify fake listings on Amazon, brands should routinely review their ASINs for new or unfamiliar sellers, sudden Buy Box changes, abnormal price drops, and unexpected edits to titles, images, or bullet points.
Additional red flags include:
- Poor-quality product images
- Inconsistent packaging descriptions
- Unusual variation additions
- Abrupt spikes in negative reviews
Our breakdown on how to spot fake products on Amazon outlines practical signals sellers can monitor weekly.
3. Conduct Amazon Test Buys
Test purchases provide physical evidence to support takedowns and escalations. In 2026, test buys are especially valuable for proving counterfeit claims, packaging discrepancies, and product condition issues that automated tools alone cannot validate.
beBOLD Digital Expert Tip: Always document test buys with photos, videos, and invoices. Detailed evidence dramatically improves takedown approval rates and speeds up escalation through Brand Registry support.
4. Safeguard Your Intellectual Property
Source: USPTO
Register trademarks, copyrights, and design patents before scaling internationally. Strong IP coverage improves takedown success rates, unlocks advanced Amazon brand protection tools, and reduces the risk of copycats exploiting weak enforcement regions.
5. Report False Negative Reviews
Source: Crescent Kao
To report false negative reviews, sellers should use Amazon’s Report Abuse or Report a Violation tools to flag reviews that violate policy, such as those containing profanity, misinformation, or evidence of review manipulation.
Brands should also document repeat patterns across ASINs and escalate through Seller Central support or Brand Registry to protect conversion rates and prevent long-term listing damage.
beBOLD Digital Expert Tip: Track review removals over time. Repeated review abuse patterns can support escalations and, in some cases, seller account investigations.
Other Ways to Protect Your Amazon Brand
Trademark, IP, and Listing Control
- Maintain active trademarks, copyrights, and design patents to speed up enforcement and reduce takedown rejections
- Strong IP portfolios unlock tools like Brand Catalog Lock and improve infringement reporting success rates
- Tight listing control prevents unauthorized edits that can hurt indexing, conversion, or listing health
Monitoring and Enforcement
- Use AI-powered tools to monitor Amazon, social platforms, search engines, and global marketplaces
- Identify counterfeits, copycats, and unauthorized sellers before issues scale
- Proactive enforcement minimizes revenue loss and customer trust erosion
Supply Chain and Seller Control
- Limit authorized distributors and monitor inventory leakage points
- Track distributor behavior and regional pricing gaps to avoid Buy Box instability
- Strong supply chain discipline supports eligibility for advanced Amazon protection programs
Customer Trust and Brand Defense
- Educate customers on how to identify authentic products
- Use Transparency codes and consistent brand messaging to surface fakes faster
- Strong trust signals improve reviews, repeat purchases, and long-term brand equity
How Can beBOLD Digital Help?
Protecting your brand on Amazon in 2026 requires an integrated strategy executed by experts who understand how brand protection, SEO, advertising, and operations work together.
beBOLD Digital is a full-service Amazon agency providing Amazon brand protection services for growth-focused brands in competitive categories like beauty, supplements, medical, and pet. Schedule a call with us today so you can proactively defend revenue and scale with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a trademark for Amazon brand protection?
Yes. A registered trademark is required for Brand Registry and advanced protection tools.
What’s the difference between Project Zero and Transparency?
Project Zero removes counterfeit listings, while Transparency prevents counterfeit units from shipping.
How do I stop unauthorized sellers on Amazon?
Use Brand Registry reporting, Brand Gating (where eligible), Transparency, and consistent monitoring.
What are the benefits of brand protection on Amazon?
Brand protection improves trust, conversion rates, ad performance, and long-term profitability.
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