Amazon Releases Third Annual Brand Protection Report

In its third annual Brand Protection Report, Amazon showcased the significant increase in criminal referrals and industry collaborations as a direct result of the company’s intensified efforts to safeguard its customers, brands, and selling partners from counterfeit goods.

The report provides evidence of the successful deterrence of malicious actors and the far-reaching impact of Amazon’s comprehensive approach, which incorporates cutting-edge technology and knowledgeable professionals.

In 2022, the company identified, confiscated, and properly disposed of more than six million fake products, thwarting their distribution to customers and preventing their resale elsewhere in the global supply chain.

“We take pride in the progress our organization has made this past year, specifically further evolving our technology to stay ahead of bad actors and doubling down on our criminal referral and litigation efforts,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s Vice President of Worldwide Selling Partner Services.

Amazon’s Brand Protection Report Highlights Progress in Four Key Areas

Increasingly Deterring Bad Actors:

The company’s rigorous seller verification process, which includes personalized video chat sessions with potential sellers, combined with ongoing enhancements in its machine learning-powered detection capabilities, is effectively discouraging malicious entities from attempting to open new Amazon selling accounts.

Last year alone, Amazon thwarted over 800,000 such attempts, preventing these individuals from listing even one product for sale. This figure represents a significant decrease from the 2.5 million attempts blocked in 2021 and the 6 million attempts stopped in 2020.

Expanded Adoption of Brand Protection Tools:

Amazon’s automated protection technologies have undergone further enhancements, taking advantage of our collaboration with Brand Registry participants and the data they supply to the company. This approach minimizes the necessity for brands to seek and report infringements.

In the past year, Amazon has seen a steady increase in the adoption of its brand protection initiatives, resulting in a significant reduction of more than 35% in the total number of valid infringement notices submitted by enrolled brands.

Holding Counterfeiters Accountable and Stopping Them From Abusing Its Store and Others:

Amazon’s endeavors to identify and dismantle counterfeit organizations are bearing fruit and yielding positive results. In 2022, Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit took legal action against or referred for investigation more than 1,300 criminals across the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and China.

The company persisted in collaborating with brands and law enforcement agencies not only to stop these malicious actors but also to track the origin of counterfeit signals Amazon detected.

Consequently, Amazon identified, confiscated, and properly disposed of over six million fake products, thereby eliminating their possibility of being resold in any part of the supply chain.

Strengthening Consumer Education:

Amazon collaborated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Customs and Border Protection service to create marketing campaigns aimed at educating consumers on safe shopping practices and how to avoid counterfeit products.

Through these efforts, the company aimed to raise awareness about the potential harm and hazards associated with buying fake items. These campaigns reached a staggering 70 million consumers across the United States.

“We’re appreciative of the growing industry-wide collaboration in this space, and look forward to continuing to innovate and work together to drive counterfeits to zero,” added Mehta.

The 23-page third annual Brand Protection report is available here to download.